It’s the Context That Counts
A conversation with the Director of the Jewish Museum and American artist Andrew M. Mezvinsky
…..
Mr. Mezvinsky, the title “A Good Day” references a chapter of a book by Primo Levi describing his survival in Auschwitz. Do you have a special connection to Levi?
Andrew Mezvinsky: I admit I read the book for the first time several years ago, but I was very impressed by this chapter, by the will to survive, by how Levi writes about hope, by the prospect of the spring after all the cold and of a new life. I tried to create an animated scene of the “Rite of Spring” as a symbol of liberation and renewed will to live.
A multimedia project?
Andrew Mezvinsky: I am a painter, but I had always wanted to see my drawings animated. So I worked out various animations that make the viewer a part of the installation: the closer you get to the works, the more the sun comes up, the closer you get to hope.
Humor plays an important role in your work. Is that the case here as well?
Andrew Mezvinsky: Absolutely. I’m also showing a work with denim fabric, drawing a connection between Primo Levi, Levi Strauss and Levi’s jeans. You lose focus if you take yourself too seriously. Visitors get more out of it if it is presented in a humorous way, especially with a subject like this one.
….