"Where is G_d in all of this?"

"Where is G_d in All of This?"

Acrylic, guoache on reclaimed canvas, unframed.

15.5"×10.5"; 40×26cm

Description

This acrylic and gouache painting shows a lone Jewish female figure, possibly a rabbi, in the act of removing her prayer shawl. Set against a surface of worn browns, blacks and parchment tones, the figure appears suspended between ritual, grief and revelation. Arrow-like marks and fragmented forms suggest confusion, pressure and competing directions, while the Hebrew words beside her ask: “Where is God in all of this?” The weathered surface, reminiscent of old parchment or stone rubbing, gives the work the feeling of an ancient question made urgently present.

Artistic Themes

The painting explores the fragile space between faith and doubt, belonging and estrangement. The act of removing the prayer shawl is not a simple rejection of tradition, but a charged gesture of questioning, sorrow and moral reckoning. Rooted in Jewish experience, the work reflects both personal spiritual uncertainty and the anguish of confronting present horrors carried out in the name of the Jewish people. It invites the viewer into a space where conscience, identity and belief remain unresolved.

Artistic Statement

I made this work from a place of grief, doubt and inner conflict. It reflects my questioning of faith — both in general and within Judaism — intensified by the horror of current events. The figure removing her prayer shawl became, for me, an image of exposure: not abandonment, but a painful confrontation with what cannot be explained away. The Hebrew phrase, “Where is God in all of this?”, sits at the heart of the painting. This work does not offer resolution; it holds open a space for lament, witness and uneasy reflection.