A Closer Look at Tobi Kahn’s 'M’AHL'

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

The Lens: Capturing Life and Events at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum

The Lens: Capturing Life and Events at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum

A woman views the 9/11 Memorial Museum’s exhibition, Rendering the Unthinkable. The work features dozens of works created by artists in response to 9/11.
Visitor at the 9/11 Memorial Museum's new exhibition, Rendering the Unthinkable: Artists Respond to 9/11. Photo by Jin Lee.

The Lens: Capturing Life and Events at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum is a photography series devoted to documenting moments big and small that unfold at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.

The View: A visitor views “Rendering the Unthinkable: Artists Respond to 9/11”on its opening day at the 9/11 Memorial Museum. This new exhibition features a collection of artwork by 13 NYC artists in response to 9/11, ranging in media from paintings and sculpture to works on paper and video.By 9/11 Memorial Staff 

 

Art Exhibit Dedicated to Michael Richards, Artist Killed on 9/11

Art Exhibit Dedicated to Michael Richards, Artist Killed on 9/11

An art exhibit dedicated to 9/11 victim Michael Richards is seen at the LMCC Arts Center on Governors Island. Many of the pieces in the exhibit are related to flight and flying, including a gold-colored statue depicting an aviator surrounded by planes.
Many of Richards’ works related to the concept of flight and can be seen in the LMCC Arts Center on Governor’s Island. Photo by Etienne Froussard.

Before his death on 9/11, emerging artist Michael Richards was on the path to becoming a prominent figure in contemporary art with his work known for its provocative and critical elements.

On the morning of Sept. 11, he was working in his World Views studio, sponsored by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, on the92nd floor of the North Tower.

Marking the 15th anniversary of 9/11, the largest exhibition of Richards’ work to date is featured in LMCC’s “Michael Richards: Winged,” at the Arts Center at Governor’s Island.

In his work, Richards explores historical and ongoing oppression of black people through drawings and sculptures. Central themes of his work include aviation, flight, and escape—alluding to repression and reprieve from social injustices and the potential for uplift and downfall.   

The imagery of airplanes, pilots and wings in Richards' work take on a new meaning after 9/11. Before his death, Richards described the notion of flight in his work. He said, "The idea of flight relates to my use of pilots and planes, but it also references...the idea of being lifted up, enraptured, or taken up to a safe place—to a better world."

The show is free and open to the public. Click here for more information. 

By Hannah Foley, 9/11 Memorial Communications Intern 

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