Annette Back and Lilian Kebudi (Credit: Jonathan Sasson)
Last month, on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, the works of numerous Jewish and Israeli artists filled the walls of David Lowry’s gallery, 114 W 71 Arts, located on a quiet side street brownstone. This was the second exhibition organized and curated by two New York City-based Jewish artists, Lilian Kebudi and Annette Back, founders of Stars in the Arts. Created in the aftermath of Oct. 7, the two women connected over their shared vision of taking the pain, trauma and fear of the Jewish people and channeling it into a creative force for good.
Kebudi, who grew up in the Jewish community of Brazil and whose Jewish roots hail from Lebanon and Turkey, had never previously centered her Jewishness in her art and public identity. However, since Oct. 7, she has embraced the label of a “Jewish artist.” Lilian became consumed by the stories of the hostages, the dramatic rise in antisemitism and the sentiment of being a Jewish woman in times of conflict. She decided to unapologetically center her Jewish identity, feelings and hopes in her paintings, of which the dominant color palette turned to shades of blue, a color that resonates with the Jewish people and Israel.
Back grew up in Germany and at 17 moved to New York to attend the School of Visual Arts. Through her work, Annette tells stories inspired by experiences, current events and nature. She paints in layers of acrylics or oil, including text and photos. Her geometrically infused compositions convey emotions of moments in time.
Both women had been involved in supporting liberal causes but noticed it was not reciprocal when the Jewish minority needed allyship and support. Sadly, not only was there a notable lack of support from the arts community to their Jewish colleagues, but also a siding with the Palestinian, Hamas-driven war. Some openly espoused deeply anti-Israel and anti-Zionist beliefs, even going to the lengths of blacklisting Jewish artists from galleries and collectives if they supported Israel.
While the creative community has often used its platforms to champion social justice causes, their issues should have aligned. Innocent hostages taken, hundreds massacred, including entire families, infants, elderly, horrific sexual violence against women, and blatant acts of terrorism. This strange allegiance of the mostly very progressive and liberal art community to the perpetrators of such acts felt even more isolating for Jewish artists in the city, home to the largest Jewish population outside of Israel.
Thus, Kebudi and Back took the initiative upon themselves to create the change they and the Jewish community needed, forming Stars in The Arts. Their logo, a play on words, being a star of David but also representing a superstar in the arts, the identity of Jewish and artist proudly inseparable. Their self-declared mission is “… to create a vibrant community where Jewish and Israeli artists can come together to support Israel, raise antisemitism awareness, foster mutual support, celebrate our Jewishness, and spread love through the transformative power of art.”
Their first exhibition, “Together,” was in May, held in a midtown gallery space and was only a single evening event. This time, it lasted five evenings. The exhibition included a diverse group of artists with a multitude of styles. All works were for sale with select limited edition prints of certain pieces offering a price point for all ranges, starting at $35 for some prints and upwards of $6,000 for larger, original works, with a spectrum in between. On display were photographs, relief sculptures on panel, mix-media, charcoal and oil paintings, a style for many different tastes. Ultimately the theme for this last show can be clear from its title, “Resilience: From Dark to Light.”
The message of rising above, survival, love and the strength of the Jewish people was evident, not that a Jewish motif could always be elicited from every artwork; sometimes a piece was totally abstract. But the intent of the artist, many of whom were at the opening and closing nights of the show to explain their work, embodied this theme. Stars in the Arts donated 10% of all proceeds for each piece sold to the American Zionist Movement’s Israel Emergency Relief Fund, adding an important charitable aspect with a cause that resonates with the attendees.
Another beautiful element of the show was that David Lowry, the gallery owner, is not Jewish. In a time of feeling a lack of non-Jewish allyship, Lowry’s willingness and support to host the exhibition and the artists was even more meaningful to Kebudi and Back. While most of the participating artists were local, there were also pieces submitted from around the country as well as Mexico, Europe, and of course Israel.
In addition, while most of the attendees were Jewish, there were some non-Jews as well who came to offer their support. This is exactly what Stars in the Arts wanted to achieve, as the audience has primarily been solely within Jewish circles, enhancing an echo chamber of sorts. Having the non-Jewish world see the unique offerings that are distinctly Jewish to help educate, foster empathy and understanding of the Jewish people’s story, pain and also pride. In a year marked by so much misinformation this was vitally important.
The “Resilience” exhibit had an unexpected and much welcomed guest at Sunday’s opening: Shai Davidai, the Israeli professor at Columbia University. Through his vocal advocacy, Davidai has become somewhat of a celebrity in the Jewish world post-Oct. 7, and a leader for the Jewish cause, championing Israel, not just at Columbia but speaking at rallies, supporting Jewish students and even hosting his own podcast. For transparency, I am one of the artists who has participated in both exhibitions with Stars in the Arts, and was lucky enough for Shai to video me explaining one of my pieces, entitled “A Sliver of Gold.” His social media post drew attention to the exhibit, garnering nearly 8,000 likes and more than 55,000 views, resulting in more visitors.
By the end of the show, many pieces were sold and funds were raised for the American Zionist Movement (AZM) through the Israel Emergency Relief Fund. Moreover, the event was a success by bringing artists and patrons together in support of each other, the Jewish homeland and community. Kebudi and Back are looking to the future with the intention of continuing the momentum and planning to curate more exhibitions under Stars in the Arts. Be sure to follow them on instagram @starsinthearts, and subscribe to their mailing list at www.starsinthearts.com.
