A Closer Look at Tobi Kahn’s 'M’AHL'

Tobi Kahn’s all-white artwork “M’AHL” is seen on display at the 9/11 Memorial Museum.
Tobi Kahn's M’AHL on view in the 9/11 Memorial Museum. Photo by Jin Lee.

Now part of the “Rendering the Unthinkable: Artists Respond to 9/11” exhibition, artist Tobi Kahn constructed "M’AHL," a sculpture comprised of 12 independent segments for an installation titled "Embodied Light: 9/11 in 2011."

Thousands of wood pieces evoke the view of the Manhattan skyline. "M’AHL" embodies the artist’s memories of time spent with his parents and grandparents at Windows on the World, the restaurant high atop the North Tower.

Kahn thinks deeply about the shape and meaning of commemorating loss. A child of Holocaust survivors, he describes himself as obsessed with memory, believing that art can be a redemptive, healing force. Kahn’s artwork is both spiritual and secular, with commissions that span Holocaust memorials to a hospice meditation room.

Watch the video below to get a closer look.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

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