“The Torah belongs to everyone, not only the ones who were brought up with it”
Take the story of Noah’s Ark, put it side by side with the Tower of Babel, and give it a global interpretation of God’s will vs. man’s rebellion and you will get a unique piece of art made by Avner Moriah. Moriah is a native Jerusalemite, living in the beautiful and serene mountains surrounding the city. His passion for the classic Jewish texts started at the time he was an art student in the Bezalel Academy of Arts, and later, as the first Israeli art student in Yale.
“The Torah belongs to everyone, not only the ones who were brought up with it”, says Avner. “Since I was brought up as a secular Jew, I am free from the classic commentators and narrative, and give it my own interpretation, mostly based on the literal meaning of the word, and with a broad context of the surrounding cultures living in the biblical times.”
Avner Moriah splits his time between his home and traveling around the world. Next week, he will be visiting the Vatican, where Pope Francisco will accept a gift from him – the illustrated book of Exodus. That book will be standing on the Vatican library bookshelf, alongside the illustrated book of Genesis, which he gave to the previous Pope, Benedictus the 16th.
If you open the Guinness Book of Records 2017, you will find him as well, with the longest scroll of Esther, all his creation. This 16.5 Meters (54 feet) long, is a masterpiece which takes the famous book illustrated in to a play, filled with colors and a Persian influence. Like he said before, the Torah is for everyone to enjoy and play with.
To enjoy more of his work – https://avnermoriahprints.com/
