Rachel Singel – 500 Years of Jewish Life in Venice
BY: KYLEE JENNINGS
The Venetian Jewish ghetto is the first ghetto ever in existence, and 2017 will mark its 500th anniversary. Rachel Singel took this opportunity to return to Venice for 2 months to become more intimate with the city’s deep history and culture. Singel has mastered the technique of creating minimalistic pieces that also hold tremendous amounts of depth through etching (printmaking). As of now, she is an Assistant Professor at the University of Louisville.
Singel’s “500 Years of Jewish Life in Venice,” located in the Performance Art Center, is a captivating display of meticulous pieces. The perfectly imperfect lines that streak across the brittle paper are mysterious and alluring; each one captures the viewer like a bug in a light, dragging them deeper and deeper into the nitty details that bring the city’s character to life.
Singel uses etches to build, revise, and build again just as the city itself was done. She was also able to depict age better through etches than most other techniques, as well as to show not only the beauty of the old city, but the decay of it as well. Her ultimate goal was to create pieces that are reproducible.
Singel explained that she has been to Venice 5 times before this project, so she was already well acquainted with the city. Every time she goes, she is always fascinated with the city’s architecture — “a city within a city,” is how she described it. Singel also wanted to use this opportunity to raise awareness for Venice’s ghettos.
Unlike her other visits, this time she was able to experience the city on a much more intimate level. While Singel was there, she gained vast amounts of inspiration through people and artists she had met or observed. She focused on the small things that made up the bigger picture of the city, things most, including herself, pass by without giving it a single thought or consideration. She used these experiences as her muse to not just recreate the buildings, but to express the emotions and soul of the city deep within.
For more of Rachel’s work check out her website, http://www.rachelsingel.com
Images: Kylee Jennings