Glowing Embers: New Works by Manitoba Jewish Artists
Opening Reception: Saturday, October 26 – 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Rady JCC Adult Lounge
FREE – No Registration Required
Glowing Embers brings together a collection of exciting and vibrant new works by both emerging and established Jewish Artists from Manitoba. The work runs from conceptual to realist and everything in between and highlights ideas of belonging, community, and home.
The talented artists included in this exhibition are the Rimon Art Collective (comprised of Mishelle Aminov, Yael Freifeld, Halley Ritter, Etel Shevelev, and Shan Pullan) and independent artists Elena El, and Joel Novek.
At the opening reception you will see the show, meet the artists and curators, and get to share in some light refreshments.
Gallery will be open to the public on:
- Sunday, October 27th (10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.)
- Tuesday, October 29th (5:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.)
- Wednesday, October 30th (1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.)
- Thursday, October 31st (5:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.)
- Saturday, November 2nd (6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.)
- Tuesday, November 5th (1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.)
- Thursday, November 7th (7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.)
Rimon Art Collective
We are רימונים (Ri – mon – eim);
Rimon means “pomegranate” in Hebrew. Much like our namesake, we each contain multitudes. A group of young Jewish artists, we have come together for both creativity and comfort as a supportive family seeking refuge in the transformative powers of art and community. As first to third generation immigrants, our diverse backgrounds, stories, and experiences converge in a tapestry of expression, proudly reflecting the rich mosaic of our shared heritage and unique identities.
Yael Freifeld is a graphic designer and artists living in Winnipeg Manitoba. Yaels practice focuses on the complex identity of third culture children that live in bi-cultural households. She takes inspiration from her Ashkenazi Jewish identity, eastern European roots and time living in Israel, by combining them into intricate and detailed patterns.
Mishelle Aminov Kosonovsky, an Eastern-European Jewish immigrant and Israeli-born artist, creates multidisciplinary, print-based works exploring themes of tradition, nostalgia, identity, and the immigrant experience. Her art captures the ephemeral, inviting viewers to reflect on their memories and personal journeys, blending cultural heritage with contemporary expression.
Etel Shevelev is an Ashkenazi Jewish-Israeli interdisciplinary artist with a focus on illustration. As a first and second-generation immigrant, she explores the many layers that construct Jewish identity in Israel and the diaspora, particularly through the lens of a Jewish woman. Etel explores themes of missing home, unravelling her secular-Jewish identity, and the many things that make her – herself.
Halley Ritter is an artist, curator, and educator living on Treaty 1 Territory. Halley is fixated — in her life and work — on memory, tradition, connection, and collective identity in the context of contemporary Jewish culture. Halley explores her big ideas and even bigger feelings through painting, printmaking, and installation art.
Shan Pullan is an interdisciplinary artist living in Manitoba, on Treaty 1 and 2 territories. Her work explores interpretations of memory, fear of memory loss, and cultural nostalgia. Shan creates visual representations of memory featuring her experiences as a Jewish person in the diaspora which she produces through the physical manipulation of photographic film.
Elena El is a fine artist specializing in Winnipeg cityscape paintings. Her preferred medium is acrylic on canvas. Elena’s paintings have been featured on CBC Canada National, Breakfast Television, Winnipeg Free Press, CBC Manitoba Scene and other local media. Elena studied classic drawing and painting at the College of Fine Arts, Odessa, Ukraine, and graduated from College of Design, Haifa, Israel. In 2006 Elena moved to Winnipeg. Her studio is located at Cre8ery Gallery.
Joel Novek – After more than 30 years as a Sociology Professor at the University of Winnipeg, Joel began painting as a retirement project. He took beginners’ courses in drawing and painting at the Winnipeg Art Gallery and then joined Forum Art Centre in 2010 where he studied acrylics, watercolours and life drawing. He also attended plein air workshops in Mexico and Sicily. He served on the Board of Directors of Forum Art from 2012 to 2019 and, for many years, volunteered and exhibited at the Forum’s annual Fresh Art Shows. He enjoys painting scenes depicting people and places, mainly but not exclusively in Winnipeg and around Manitoba. His favourite subjects include sports and games, active transportation, and people at leisure, as well as diverse aspects of urban life.