Maya Zack, The Shabbat Room 4

This image is about the mystical qualities of Shabbat, set against Kaufmann’s "Gute Stube." Zack references Kaufmann’s study trips to the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe and his fascination for the Hassidic life. Kaufmann also incorporated some elements with mystical potential in the Gute Stube, such as the amulets to protect women and the newborn. Maya Zack is interested in the traditional idea that Shabbat is an emancipation from the tyranny of time, thereby giving a foretaste of the human redemption to come. The emergence of the light from the surface of the Shabbat table reflects the ancient Kabbalistic conception regarding the presence of the divine light all along the seventh day. The project was made possible thanks to the generous financial support of the Association of FRIENDS, Sotheby’s Kunstauktionen GesmbH, and the Frey familiy.