Artist Anna Gil wins international Facebook contest; new show at Creason’s Gallery
By ALAN SMASON, Exclusive to the CCJN
Anna Gil, the Jewish mysticism artist whose “Letters of Light” oil paintings of Hebrew letters and Hebrew words, have illuminated several Royal Street galleries in recent months, recently received some extremely gratifying news. Following a campaign that ran on Facebook and was promoted on the CCJN website, Gil was announced as the first winner of the Golden Ghetto Facebook Page contest.
Artist Anna Gil, the winner of the Facebook Golden Ghetto Award is heading off to Venice. (Photo courtesy Anna Gil)
The Venice Center of Jewish Art, which sponsors created the Facebook page to promote its Golden Ghetto Award, contacted Gil via email to alert her to her win. Venice, Italy is home to the oldest community of Jews on the European continent and will celebrate its 500th anniversary next year.
As a result of her placement, Gil is packing her bags to display and crate her paintings for shipping, where they will be on public view in Venice next month. That’s where she will compete for the honor of being selected the winner of the first Golden Ghetto Award, an international award instituted to promote and glorify Jewish art and artists.
Gil chose to display her “Letters of Light” – 22 12-inch by 12-inch oil canvases – each bearing a likeness of a Hebrew letter as her entry in this year’s contest. “I’m going with the Hebrew alphabet. I love how it becomes more real to me and how alive they (the letters) are – how the paintings are speaking to other people,” she said. “All 22 letters create one big canvas, pretty much. The Individual letters all together become one installation of art.”
Gil notes with irony that she will compete with a total of 22 artists from all over the world for a top prize of $3,000. The Venice Center for Jewish Art will host a gala on Sunday, May 19 at which all of the artists will be introduced. An exhibit of their works in a large hall will continue for 10 days, at which time a winner will be selected.
The “Letters of Light” seen here will be on display in Venice in May or online at http://annagil.com (Photo courtesy Anna Gil)
The winner’s work will grace posters, fliers and banners as part of the planned celebrations for the ghetto’s 500th year.
“I feel really proud that I am representing New Orleans, the city that inspired me and that I’m bringing that with me to Venice,” said Gil during an exclusive CCJN telephone interview. “I am very excited and I’m very appreciative of all the support and I’m also very honored to be in such great company. These artists are from all the world and so I’m very, very excited to be in that great company of artists, whom I look forward to meeting.”
Aside from discussions with these other Jewish artists in which she can share common interests and ideas, Gil, a frequent visitor to Italy, says she looks forward to “making new friends and having pizza.”
Another major step for Gil was the recent reveal of her new website intended to showcase her work for all the world to see. The “clean and simple” stark white background of the home page serves as a fitting canvas for her colorful and vibrant works of art.
All of her paintings can be viewed over the Internet and her most recent exhibits are listed along with any news pertinent to her artistic work. “I’m very pleased with the response I’ve been receiving,” she admits. “It’s just a way to communicate to the world so everyone in the world can see my work.”
Inspired by Jewish scripture, Gil’s artistic process requires concentration on several levels as she explores the meaning of the Hebrew verse through her original pieces of art. She noted she is affected by the time of year, the time of day and even by whether it is cloudy or light. “I believe the letters are the DNA for the creation of the world,” she mused. “So definitely what’s being created outdoors has a lot to do with the lighting that I’m working with in the studio.”
Gil’s works are currently on display through the end of the month at Creason’s Fine Art Gallery, 532 Royal Street in the Vieux Carré.
