Sandhi Schimmel Gold
Memoir and Mirrors:
A reflection of four generations of creative women

January 27 - February 18, 2023

Mixed Media Assemblages

About “Memoir and Mirrors”

"Memoir and Mirrors" - is a meditation on the memories, souvenirs and materials collected by multi-generations of women. 

The matriarch, Ester Markovics was born on a farm in rural Slovakia. Her daughter, Bessy Markowitz was the artists' mother.

These women survived WWII and as refugees, arrived in New York City in 1949.

Both Ester and Bessy were hired to assemble jewelry for a costume jewelry manufacturer. Bessy went on to work as a silk scarf painter. In time, Bessy became a painter, and a jewelry designer in her own right. Over the years, both women amassed a collection of beads, findings, art supplies, etc. Sandhi Schimmel Gold eventually inherited a massive assortment of miscellaneous items, as both her mother and grandmother found material objects to have monetary value. Each woman, in turn, had difficulty disposing of possessions. The thought of letting go causes a great deal of melancholy.

Each object held on to its memories, moods, and nostalgia. Each woman, in turn, dealt with a sense of guilt. 

An established upcycle artist, Sandhi began incorporating all manner of paper and found objects into her work when she discovered a cache of mirrored napkin rings once belonging to her mother. 

Sandhi, a "collector" and keeper of generations of memories, also kept almost every object from her daughter, Ally's childhood. And, after being inspired by a Venetian mosaic artist who created a massive installation of mirrored glass "tiles," Sandhi began creating mixed-media memoirs on small canvases: manipulating a variety of personal objects into a massive installation of individual memoirs.

She combines a medley of greeting cards, tiny mirrors, hardware, toys, buttons, beads, miniatures, and other personal mementos that belonged to her grandmother, mother, daughter or herself. 

Sandhi's daughter, Ally is also a fine artist [ceramics and drawing] who assisted in producing some of the pieces. 

What was once a massive mountain of mementos have become a cohesive collection of  miniature "Treasure Tiles."

Each canvas is hand-painted, and approached as an individual story. No two are alike. Each has a name attached to a place, a person or memory belonging to the artist or member of her family.

Biography

Sandhi Schimmel Gold is primarily known as #theoriginaljunkmailartist, is one of the pioneers of the green fine art movement. Sandhi has been upcycling junk mail, packaging, greeting cards and other paper ephemera to create portraits, landscapes and abstracts for over 20 years.  Her work is in fine art galleries throughout the country and is in private, corporate and museum collections around the world.

Websites: SandhiSchimmelGold.com, SchimmelArt.com