Myriam Nafte: Archive

Currently on display in our Virtual Gallery: Archive is a combined series by multimedia artist Myriam Nafte, inspired by medieval Jewish communities and celebrating their contributions to the arts and sciences. Closes Nov 1.

Click here to view the online exhibition!

Myriam Nafte’s formal art training began during her undergraduate and graduate studies in visual arts, human anatomy and skeletal biology at the University of Toronto and McMaster University. Much of her work integrates nude and cadaveric studies with research in forensic science.

In a clear departure from her anatomical work, Myriam began apprenticing with her father Max Benshabat [1927-2015] who was an artist and sofer [scribe]. From the year 2000, Myriam immersed herself in the study of Hebrew text moving beyond the confines of line drawing. With her father’s mentoring, along with archival and museum research, several bodies of work emerged that explored the literary, scientific and artistic splendour of Medieval Jewish life. ARCHIVE represents the very last pieces assimilated from various exhibits over the last twenty years.

Myriam’s highly praised artwork has been acquired by private collectors around the world and featured in galleries across North America including the Fine Jewish Museum in San Francisco and the Mizel Center for the Arts in Denver, Colorado. Interviewed extensively for her art and forensic contributions, Myriam finds a comfortable middle ground in the duality of both worlds. She is author of the books Flesh and Bone (2000) and Crime and Measurement (2010) and continues to teach at McMaster University.

The MNjcc Virtual Gallery is a digital home for creativity that educates, entertains and expresses shared experiences of humanity. If you have questions or would like to purchase artwork, please contact Ian Mcnulty, Coordinator of Adult Art and Culture at ianm@mnjcc.org.