Sam Griffin: Aftermath

Israeli artist Sam Griffin's paintings, forged in the crisis of war, convey the human capacity for healing and hope for a peaceful future for Israel and humankind.

Since October 7th, the world has experienced the horrific impact of a war that has lasted over 18 months with vivid images of death, displacement, and destruction. Sam Griffin is among Israeli artists of all disciplines who are using art to mirror their experiences, process memories, and find healing. His works resonate with all those grappling with personal and collective trauma.

Born and raised in London, Sam Griffin immigrated to Israel alone at age 20 and enlisted as a combat soldier in the IDF. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in art from the Bezalel Academy of Art and has since devoted his professional career to painting. His work has appeared in many group exhibitions and a solo show, A Wise Old Man, at the Jerusalem Biennale in 2021.

Called up as a reservist just one day after the October 7^th attack, Griffin spent several intense months in and around Gaza. Carrying a small sketchbook, he captured his impressions and experiences, which he later depicted in his paintings. In "Egyptian Border," the brilliant sunrise contrasts with shadowed forms in the ominous foreground, portending imminent violence.

Griffin's return home was a traumatic adjustment; he turned to painting to confront his memories. He explains:

After three and a half months of combat in Gaza, I returned home tense and burnt out. The sharp transition between being a soldier and being a father and spouse left me unable to function. I had to restore myself to myself and somehow integrate these various parts within me and with life itself. One of my tools was painting. Entering the studio was my way to process the experience, express, and explain everything I'm going through internally and everything I've endured externally through a visual language.

Drawing from the images stored in his memory, his sketches, and photos taken on his phone during his reserve duty, Griffin painted unpopulated landscapes and urban scenes in and around Gaza. The unnatural stillness evokes the anxiety and tension of a war zone. The bloodshed and suffering are not depicted, left to the viewer's imagination. The solitude, emptiness, and shadows illuminated by the sunrise in "Egyptian Border, Dawn;" the clear blue skies in "Khan Yunis I;" and military flares in "Flare I" recall fearful anticipation, dread, and the aftermath of the moment.

Through the rapid, impulsive, and trembling application and erasure of paint, Griffin's technique conveys the psychological and physical intensity of processing trauma as he works toward repair. "Soldier" is the only figurative wartime work in this exhibition, a faceless person whose features are obliterated, personifying the process of concealing or erasing traumatic memories.

Ram Ozeri, founder of the Jerusalem Biennale, who initiated and curated this exhibition, says: 

In Israel, everyone is part of the war, either on active duty or anxiously at home. Griffin invites viewers to reflect on the complexities of war, terror, and loss and the long, slow transition back to normal life, a steep challenge for many soldiers. 

In "Dawn Breaking Near Rafah," the horizontal bands of erased paint, the vertical streaks pouring down the canvas, and the stark light and dark contrasts of pigments capture Griffin's artistic and emotional journey toward repair. 

In addition to his wartime works, Griffin has recently turned to depicting biblical subjects, revealing the healing found in the texts of our tradition. His expressionistic "Ya'acov and the Angel (After Braswell)" can be interpreted as reflecting the artist's struggle with the psychological wounds that have permanently altered his identity.

In "Elijah's Ascent," a whirlwind of brushwork evokes the biblical prophet who is swiftly carried up to heaven in a chariot. Elijah's heralding of the messianic age expresses Griffin's hopes for redemption and peace.

Ozeri notes, "Griffin's works carry a message of resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art, reflecting his process of reconnecting with himself and others."

The Israeli public has deeply related to Griffin's wartime paintings, which were initially presented in a small solo show at the Jerusalem Biennale in March and April of 2024. A more comprehensive exhibition, Second Draft, was hosted by the Wolfson Museum of Jewish Art in Jerusalem this winter.

All these works are now on view for the first time in the U.S. at the Sam Griffin: Aftermath exhibit in the Heller Museum at Hebrew Union College (HUC) in New York through June 26. The exhibit will then travel to the HUC Skirball Museum in Cincinnati and museums in Omaha, Los Angeles, and San Diego.

Griffin's art, forged in the ongoing crisis of war, holds up a mirror to the collective memory of Israeli society and invites the viewer's engagement by depicting the essential process of healing from trauma. Griffin conveys the ineffable human capacity for resilience while expressing our shared hope for a peaceful future, for Israel and for all humankind.

Heller Museum at Hebrew Union College in New York
Location: One West Fourth Street, New York City 
On View: April 22- June 26, 2025 
Hours: Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. 
Admission: Free 
Tours/Information: 212-824-2218; hellermuseum@huc.edu 
Exhibition Catalog: HUC.edu/samgriffincatalog 
Free Heller Museum exhibition audio guide at bloombergconnects.org