Human existence is messy, draining, and complicated. Leah L-Rubin’s most recent paper assemblages hold meaning in their multiple layers of mixed materials. She fuses different cultures into one outlet to express universal emotions. In "Like Soap 4 the Body so R Tears 4 the Soul," she stitches three seemingly different traditions into one assemblage described as cultural syncretism. These cultures include one nearly extinct language and an ancient Chinese ceramic practice, along with colonial American quilt making. Yiddish, a language without a country, holds the power to express human angst by juxtaposing comfort and suffering through acerbic humor in concise idioms.

The central blue image highlights one of her works from a series of ceramic pillows illustrating Yiddish phrases—but why choose the pillow for the visual format? Historically, the porcelain pillow was a valued ancient Chinese tradition of the Tang and Song dynasties. They were originally designed for many esteemed purposes, from burial offerings to keeping one’s head cool on a hot summer night! Originally they were created to protect fancy hairdos of Chinese women while they slept. Chinese pillows also carried auspicious meanings as a place to carry life’s lessons, as many illustrate poems and quotes from the Chinese philosophies, acting as a place for encouragement for life’s issues. Pillows are a place of comfort and relief from everyday stress, but for an artist they provide a unique blank canvas. Finally, she uses quilt making, where women tell stories with needle and thread. It is her hope that the viewer takes delight in discovering the ceramic pillow as a treasured object of art that holds a unique place to express human angst through the weary Yiddish proverbs, all stitched in one visual configuration.

To learn more:
www.leahlrubin.com