The Eldridge Street Synagogue at 12 Eldridge Street on the Lower East Side feels exactly like a museum: built back in 1887, the beautiful building still retains the architectural details that propelled it to National Landmark fame, in clear contrast to the other structures that call Chinatown home.
Inside the synagogue, though, there is an actual museum that has been operating on site since 1986.
Originally founded as the Eldridge Street Project, the Museum at Eldrige Street occupies the temple under a long-term lease and is home to a vast variety of exhibits all throughout the year.
For the next six months, though, the cultural destination will offer attendees the chance to dive into the work of Jewish artist Tobi Kahn, who has set up his first solo show in NYC in the past decade right inside.
Featuring nearly 50 objects, many of which are the ceremonial artifacts that have come to define his career, the retrospective is called “Memory and Inheritance: Paintings and Ceremonial Objects by Tobi Kahn” and it will remain on view through November 10.
Among the objects on display that fans of the artist have likely seen before is “SAPHYR IV,” an Omer counter, and “LKAH,” a series of unique Shabbat candlesticks that take on odd but remarkable forms. There are also abstract paintings, Judaica and outdoor structures set up inside.
According to an official press release, although Kahn’s work is clearly informed by his Judaism, his work is meant to speak to the human experience as a whole.
“This exhibition invites visitors to ponder the relationship between themselves and a larger spiritual community regardless of one’s faith and traditions,” reads the release.
Although the artist himself won’t be present to walk you through the breadth of his pieces, the museum is providing attendees with an audio guide narrated by Kahn himself. You’ll get to pretend he’s right by your side as you walk through the beautiful space.
