Women's Studies Research Center

"Golem and Dybbuk: New Works by Jessica Riva Cooper"

On View: April 14 - May 20, 2011

Jessica Riva Cooper

Hadassah-Brandeis Institute Artist-in-Residence and Exhibition

Artist Jessica Riva Cooper at her exhibit “Golem Dybbuk.” She is pictured here standing in front of a wall that has black and white figures painted directly on the wall. There are numerous ceramic figures on pedestals of different heights in front of the painted wall. As the third annual Hadassah-Brandeis Institute artist-in-residence, Jessica Riva Cooper created an original, site-specific drawing and sculpture installation that re-interpreted the folkloric stories of the Golem and the Dybbuk through a feminist lens.

Cooper utilized her month at Brandeis to plan and install her multi-media installation in the gallery space. Visitors were invited to witness the installation-in-progress and interact with the artist as she worked.

Cooper mines her experience as a Canadian Jew of Eastern European descent to take viewers on a visual journey inspired by Yiddish folklore that deals with the mystical and the supernatural. Specifically, she examines the Golem, a creature created to do a person's bidding without question, and the Dybbuk, a mischievious spirit, through a female perspective.

Cooper is a native of Toronto, Canada, where she recieved her BFA in ceramics at the prestigious Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. After completing a post-baccalaureate program at the Sheridan College School of Craft and Design in Ontario, she received her MFA in ceramics from the Rhode Island School of Design, where she has taught wheel-thrown pottery and ceramic sculpture classes. She has exhibited her work and has served as a visiting artist in both the U.S. and Canada.

The GOLEM & DYBBUK exhibition
The GOLEM & DYBBUK exhibition
Close up of the GOLEM & DYBBUK exhibition
Close-up image of the GOLEM & DYBBUK exhibition
People performing at the GOLEM & DYBBUK exhibition
Installation view of the "Golem and Dybbuk" Art Exhibit by Jessica Riva Cooper. In this view there is a long wall containing black, white and gray gestural brush paintings of women. There are several ceramic sculptures of women on top of pedestals of varying heights. Some of them sit on surfaces low to the ground. You can also see into the next room where there are houses painted on the wall in earth tone colors.
Wall sign at the "Golem and Dybbuk" art exhibit by Jessica Riva Cooper. Text says: New works by Jessica Riva Cooper. Golem & Dybbuk. Underneath the words is the beginning of a painting that spans the length of the wall. It starts with a female figure whose paint strokes and wash are notable for lots of paint drips throughout, followed by a sequence of houses.