Exhibition Features Leonard Piha's Jewish Traditions

THE TENNESSEAN
By MiChelle Jones

"Judah Buddha" by Leonard Piha, 69 x 80 x 3 inches

TENNESSEE - The Arts Company’s loft-like second floor has been taken over by The Intimate World of Leonard Piha, a whimsical marriage of religious iconography, personal symbolism and folk art traditions. Piha had been expressing his self-described obsession with Judaism through prints, drawings and other works filled with “little Jewish men with yarmulkes.” He dropped such imagery after a professor encouraged him to explore art history and contemporary art; now the imagery is back. Judah Buddha, a wall sculpture of wood and rusted tin, captures Piha’s obsession and exhibits his sense of humor. With multiple arms and legs pulled from Hindu imagery, the figure holds a ladder, a window and a candle as it climbs a short staircase. For Piha, Judah Buddha is a commentary on the coexistence of orthodox, conservative and reformed Judaism. [link]