Coverage: "Judy Rifka: A Survey of Important Works (1970's

Coverage: “Judy Rifka: A Survey of Important Works (1970’s – Present)”

Posted by Andrea LaHue

On Sunday, February 26, at Sinai Temple on Wilshire in Los Angeles California, “Judy Rifka: A Survey of Important Works (1970’s – Present)”, opened, with a hum of adoring fans. Curated by Gregory de la Haba, Paul Celendrillo and Paul Herman, de la Haba is on a mission to shine light on Rifka, creating more space for Rifka’s light to radiate. I say “more space” as Rifka has prolifically created, since birth and collaborated with other artists and the world at large, along the way. Now, specifically, on Facebook and Instagram, Rifka is forging a new interconnectivity with community and communion with other artists and mediums.

At its essence, Judy Rifka’s work reflects movement in space, from the inside out. Like diagrams of dance steps from within the dancers movement, where the page it is written on falls away.

When I spoke to Rifka, she referred me to articles on her website. There are several highlighting her legacy and recent exhibitions. These are largely due to de la Haba. Rifka has had more than 50 solo and countless collaborative and group shows. Rifka has work in museums and collections throughout the world, has been in the Whitney Biennial twice, on the cover of Art in America. The list goes on. Yet still, she has not gotten her due. She is left out of critical articles and exhibitions, always caught in review, by an art critic, who then points out the glaring omission.

Gregory de la Haba wants everyone to know about Judy Rifka and her ground breaking paintings, her perspective of the self in space and movement. This show is contributing greatly to that end. As community is part of Rifka’s practice, the children attending Sinai Temple will have the pleasure of her curious spirit and dance.

De la Haba wanted me to mention, Madonna’s love for Freda Kahlo brought her back to the main stage. Gregory de la Haba believes, now more than ever, powerful women around the world have the capacity and duty to bring female artists onto the main stage. When he said this, it gave me goose bumps.

Critics, artists and art historians showed up to celebrate and bask in the energy of Rifka and her work. This deep appreciation for Rifka, by those immersed in art, continually point out her ground breaking accomplishment, not wanting to forget what it felt like to see her work for the first time. You can feel the inside out of these works, you can feel the lightness of being Rifka’s own personality conveys. How her spirit moves in space.

Top photo: Gregory de la Haba with Judy Rifka

Exhibition:
“Judy Rifka: A Survey of Important Works (1970’s – Present)”
February 26th, 2017 – April 20th, 2017

Address:
Merage Gallery
Sinai Temple
10400 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90024

Exhibition Catalog:
“The Radiant Child: Judy Rifka and Her Continuing Spirit-Dance With Postmodernism” was produced by Quiet lunch and designed by Bryan Thatcher. Essay by Gregory de la Haba.

For more information, contact Gregory de la Haba, Curator/Publisher, Quiet Lunch Magazine

Friend’s of Judy Rifka’s

Gregory de la Haba and Jeff Ho

(L-R), Andy Moses, Cindy Schwarzstein, Timothy Williams, Shana Nys Dambrot, Jeff Ho and Gregory de La Haba. In the background is Peter Frank and Judy Rifka