New Jerusalem

Description

30 by 30

Vision of the City

In this work Kir explores the interconnectedness of 2 visions of the city – the abstracted New York skyline that was seen initially by many immigrants through centuries, as the vision of New Jerusalem – the Promised land.

The idea of yearning for a return to the homeland and of finding a new homeland is implied in the phrase “next year in Jerusalem”, that is sang and repeated by Hebrews at the end of the Passover Seder, and serves as a reminder of living in exile.

For Kir, New York initially become an exile when he emigrated to the USA in 1994 as a refugee. But slowly that vision morphed into the new vision of New York as a new homeland and a new place to be.

The layered silhouette of NYC in this work is symbolic of the life’s experiences and dramas of living in NYC as an immigrant. This work is a celebration of finding a new home and a new life and a new destiny in a foreign land that with time becomes loved and cherished. It becomes the Promised land for those that have the courage and vision.