Animal Attractions

Artist Tamar Hirschl, an Israeli by way of Zagreb, knows all too well what it means to be displaced: She arrived in the promised land after losing her father to a concentration camp and living through World War II as a refugee, only to find more unrest in a struggling...

By Susan Froyd

January 31, 2008

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Artist Tamar Hirschl, an Israeli by way of Zagreb, knows all too well what it means to be displaced: She arrived in the promised land after losing her father to a concentration camp and living through World War II as a refugee, only to find more unrest in a struggling new state surrounded on all sides by its ancient enemies. The artist (who works in numerous mediums, including cast-acrylic sculptural collage and large-scale murals on vinyl) came to address that sense of displacement with images of deer — representative, she states, "of the fragility of all animal life in the face of human intervention."

Hirschl's deer, and her general theme of the destructive effects of progress, form the anchoring platform for Symbiosis, a new exhibit at the Mizel Museum that also includes paintings by Mark McGinnis (from his lovely folk-tale picture book, Buddhist Animal Wisdom Stories) and Debra Callan's intricately woven, beaded tapestries stretched over gourds.

Symbiosis continues through May 1 at the museum, 400 South Kearney Street; for information about additional events offered in conjunction with the exhibit, go to www.mizelmuseum.org or call 303-394-9993.
Jan. 31-May 1, 2008

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Susan Froyd started writing for Westword as the "Thrills" editor in 1992 and never quite left the fold. These days she still freelances for the paper in addition to walking her dogs, enjoying cheap ethnic food and reading voraciously. Sometimes she writes poetry.

Contact: Susan Froyd

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