Leor Grady's 'Objects of Affection' at Y Gallery Explores Identity and Conflict Through Handmade Works

From January 7 to February 5, 2012, Leor Grady presented 'Objects of Affection,' a solo exhibition in Y Gallery's Project Room at 165 Orchard Street in New York City. The installation featured sculpture, painting, and two-dimensional works on fabric and paper, all handmade to emphasize a meditative practice. A key piece embroidered the Hebrew phrase 'If I'm not for myself, who will be?' on a man's handkerchief, with spacing that allowed an alternate reading: 'Without a mother, who will be for me?' A single painting depicted an amorphous pool of gold enamel, representing the Sea of Galilee, while a nearby gold-painted paper boat sagged on a blind stair. A concrete 'house' on wheels, a dense cube topped by a triangular solid, alluded to settlements in disputed land between Palestine and Israel, especially when paired with embroidered maps of the Dead Sea showing mirrored forms with threads and knots. Pillows stacked in a niche blocked the street entrance, evoking sand bags, bedding, and dreams, complicating military themes. Grady, born in Israel to Yemeni parents and based in New York since 1996, draws comparisons to Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Zoe Leonard, and Barbara Bloom for blending personal and political elements without didacticism. His work also resonates with Gedi Sibony's subtlety, though Grady's approach is more emotionally engaging. The installation builds collective meaning through a velvet punch that is both forthright and poetically confrontational.