David Wakstein and the Painting Team at White Box

A mosaic made of hand-cut Jerusalem stone covered the floor at White Box for the exhibition "Miss Liberty: Four Stations." Two variegated hues of stone--dark gray and a warm off-white--formed the image of the Statue of Liberty, sitting on a base in the shape of a Star of David and holding a sword printed with the word "conscription" instead of a torch. The statue has broken free from its place in New York harbor and floats on the ocean. Israeli artist David Wakstein adapted the design from a political cartoon published in Punch, a British humor magazine, during World War II. Originally, the cartoon was intended as a dig at the United States for its isolationist policies in the early WWII years, but re-presented in New York in 2005, viewers cannot help but associate the image with the effects of the "terrorist threat" and the elective war in Iraq.

Adding to the complex politics of the exhibition, the mosaic was created by 120 Jewish and Arab children, supervised by graduate-student mentors as part of their MFA training, participating in workshops that Wakstein organized in four Israeli cities: Rishon Le-zion (where the artist lives), Ramleh, Nazareth and Ofakim. The locales vary a great deal in their economies and cultures, and in the size and diversity of their populations; the mix includes Jews from both the east and the west, Muslims and Christians. Each "art station" completed one quadrant of the approx. 1,800-square-foot, 4,700-pound piece. Designed specifically for White Box, the project provided an environment for children from deeply divided communities to interact in a positive and creative way.

At White Box, the concrete platform that juts out into the main space was set up as a walkway with railings, like a pier extending into the sea. Visitors could see the mosaic from above this way, or they could walk directly onto the piece (if they removed their shoes or wore protective shoe covers provided by the gallery). Up close the many bits of limestone attached to mesh backings were mesmerizing in their range of shapes and tones. In the front of the gallery a video of the participants was on view, as well as a poster with a picture showing all the children and mentors.

Wakstein has been involved with children's art-and-education workshops since the late 1970s. The groups of young people with whom he collaborates are dubbed, following the manner of Tim Rollins and K.O.S., the Painting Team, or P.T. The results have been exhibited at galleries and museums in Israel (mostly around the Tel Aviv area), as well as in the U.K. and Poland. Wakstein also shows his own artwork, in which he frequently uses appropriated political caricatures or illustrations as source material for paintings. His imagery is often provocatively critical of Israeli politics. He has transformed found cartoons into mosaics on a smaller scale than "Miss Liberty" in his individual work. In an artist's statement, he explains his interest in using the weighty stones and the labor-intensive, ancient technique to render a direct, modern image. "Miss Liberty" will make an appearance next year in Jerusalem at the Bezalel Academy of Art & Design.

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