ARTIST STATEMENT

“Obsession is the enactment of hidden pain.”  Salman Rushdie

Mark making on paper has become my obsession.  To me, paper is like skin, and, by extension, the body itself.  Working the surface of the paper into a visual meditation becomes my voice.   Both the processes I employ (I repetitively burn, etch, scrape, score, stamp, puncture, type, apply pressure, rub, stitch and draw) and materials I incorporate (heat, paper, glass, gut and metal) are metaphors for my experience. 

- Deborah Gottheil Nehmad,  June 2007


BACKGROUND

Solo Exhibition at Hui Noeau, Makawao, Maui, Hawaii 2006. Installation views of pieces from the “drawn glass” and “palimpsest” series.
 view detail
   

Deborah Gottheil Nehmad is a Honolulu-based artist whose works on paper have been seen in museum, non-profit and gallery venues since 1998. She was born and raised on Long Island in New York and graduated from Smith College with her B.A. in 1974.  In 1982, she received her JD from Georgetown University.  After years as a practicing attorney and working in politics (including the Carter White House), her legal work brought her to Hawaii in 1984.  In 1985, an accident precipitated a series of life altering events.  By 1998, she had earned her MFA in printmaking from the University of Hawaii – Manoa.

She has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Hawaii and on the “mainland”.  Her work can be found in many public and private collections including the New York Museum of Modern Art, the Fine Art Museums of San Francisco, Yale University Art Gallery, the Davis Museum and Cultural Center at Wellesley College, Smith College Museum of Art, Hood Museum at Dartmouth College, the Hammer Museum of UCLA, the Honolulu Academy of Arts, the Hawaii State Art Museum, and the Contemporary Museum in Honolulu.  She has received numerous awards, including purchases from funds provided by the Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation and was one of six Hawaii artists included in the Sixth Biennial of Hawaii Artists at The Contemporary Museum in 2003.


EDUCATION

1998

MFA in Printmaking

University of Hawaii, Manoa, Honolulu, HI

1982

Juris Doctor

Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, D.C.

1974

BA in Government

Smith College, Northampton, MA


REVIEWERS' COMMENTS

Think of cremation, the burning of one’s past, burning the bridges behind us.   [Nehmad’s] work is all about process.
- David Behlke, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, October 29, 2006

The work of Deborah Gottheil Nehmad offers a richly inflected fusion of perspectives on the eloquent mark, bringing together the personal sign and the marking of time: process and presence, endurance and duration.
- Marcia Morse, Artweek, May 2005

[Nehmad’s] homage to Eva(x) occupies an undefined area somewhere between a print and a drawing.  In her evocative re-imaging of Eva Hesse’s hauntingly serene circle drawings, Nehmad uses branding (in the traditional sense of the word) to form the inner area of her gridded circles, a technique that could be argued as either a transfer, hence a print, or a direct mark-making device of drawing.  She then defines the circumferences of the circles with graphite.  By scorching the paper, she brings a brutal and personal aspect to the Minimalist purity of Hesse’s compositions. 
- Barry Walker, New Prints 2004/Spring, ICPNY

. . . Nehmad, whose “Chronic Enumeration” is one of the show’s peculiar highlights.  Her arcane constellations of numbers are created through “pyrography,” a process of burning images into embossable paper.  That she uses her art to ease and chronicle her chronic back pain adds an extra layer of meaning.
- Josef Woodard, Along Non-linear Lines, Santa Barbara News-Press, December 5 – 11, 2003

Through the meditative process of repetitive mark-making, she burns the paper with red-hot numerical number punches that become a metaphor for numerical connections to her heritage (concentration-camp tattoos, number squares in the Kabbalah) and diagnostic tools to gauge the intensity of a person’s pain. . . .  Numbers in this context have become her words.  And her words have taken on new meanings in the shapes that have emerged – pulsating with life. 
- Victoria Gail White, Honolulu Advertiser, July 27, 2003

Ritual, endurance, repetition, obsession—these qualitative aspects are often ascribed to the art of Deborah Gottheil Nehmad. . . 
- Marcia Morse, The Contemporary Museum Biennial of Hawaii Artists Catalogue, 2003

[Nehmad’s] lyrical works on paper are characterized by numeric figures repeatedly burned, etched, embossed or written in such a way as to form rhythmic patterns and designs. . . .The resulting work is at times as delicate as lace and at other times as forceful as a hammer striking an anvil.
- Carol Khewhok, Honolulu Academy of Arts Calendar News, September/October 2000


SELECTED COLLECTIONS

Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY

Auchenbach Foundation Collection, Fine Art Museums of San Francisco

Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu, HI

The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu, HI

Hawaii State Art Museum (Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts), Honolulu, HI

Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT
Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, MA

Davis Museum and Cultural Center, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA

Hammer Museum, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA

Hood Museum, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH

Private Collections:  Hong Kong, New York (Wynn Kramarsky), Washington, DC, California, Massachusetts, Hawaii


AWARDS

2007, 2003, 2002, 2001

Hawaii State  Foundation on Culture and the Arts Purchase Awards

Purchases by the SFCA of seven works at seven exhibitions

2004

Juror’s Award

Annual Members’ Exhibition, Hui Noeau Visual Arts Center, Maui, HI

2nd place- 2D

Windward Art Guild, Honolulu, HI

2003

Gift Print Artist

Honolulu Printmakers 75th Anniversary Portfolio

2002, 2001, 1999

Roselle Davenport Award for Artistic Excellence

Artists of Hawaii Exhibitions at Honolulu Academy of Arts

2003, 2001

Peter Morse Memorial Award (second place)

Honolulu Printmakers Annual Exhibitions

1997

Jean Charlot Award (1st place)

Honolulu Printmaker’s Annual Exhibition

2000, 1998

2nd place – 2D
Honorable Mention – 2D

Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce “Commitment to Excellence” Annual Exhibitions

1999

Purchases by the Fine Art Museums of San Francisco and The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu, HI with funds provided by the Wallace Alexander GERBODE Foundation

 

1999

Purchase Award

Watamull Fund for the Honolulu Academy of Arts
   

SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2006 Drawn Glass Koa Gallery, Kapiolani Community College, Honoulu, HI
2006 Drawn Glass Hui Noeau Visual Arts Center, Makawao, HI

2005

Variations on a Meditation

Academy Art Center, Honolulu Academy of Arts

2000

Untitled

Georgetown University Law Center

2000

Marking Time

Academy Art Center, Honolulu Academy of Arts

1998

10,000

University of Hawaii Commons Gallery, Honolulu, HI

 

 

 

GROUP EXHIBITIONS – INVITATIONAL
2006 Ten Year Anniversary Exhibition The Contemporary Museum at First Hawaiian Center, Honolulu, HI
2005 The Critique Group - 10 years later Balcony Gallery, Kailua, HI

 

Retrospective/Prospective

Anne Reed Gallery, Ketchum, ID

2004

art on paper

Weatherspoon Art Museum, Greensboro, NC

fine lines: from the collection of Wynn Kramarsky

Contemporary Arts Forum of Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA

 2003

VI Biennial of Hawaii Artists

The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu, HI

 

In the making: Contemporary Drawings from a Private Collection

Fine Arts Center, University of Massachusetts,
Amherst, MA

 

ConTempoRARITIES

Neiman Marcus, Honolulu, HI

2002

Mixed-media Miniatures

Koa Gallery, Honolulu, HI

 

Showcase

Honolulu  Academy of Arts, Honolulu, HI

Common Sense

Academy Art Center at Linekona, Honolulu, HI

2001

Mixed-media Miniatures

Koa Gallery, Honolulu, HI

 

Quality Hearts III

The Contemporary Museum Café, Honolulu, HI

 

Time after Time

Gallery at Ward Center, Honolulu, HI

Birth Marks

Queen Emma Gallery, Honolulu, HI

2000

Stretching the Point

University of Hawaii Art Gallery, Manoa, HI

7th Annual Shoebox Sculpture Exhibition

University of Hawaii Art Gallery, Manoa HI

Works on Paper

The Contemporary Museum at First Hawaiian Center, Honolulu, HI

Mixed-media Miniatures

Koa Gallery, Honolulu, HI

1999

Connective

Queen Emma Gallery, Honolulu, HI

1998

Image and the Word

Gallery Iolani, Kaneohe, HI

 

GROUP EXHIBITIONS – JURIED
2007
Honolulu Printmakers Annual Exhibition
Academy Art Center at Linekona, Honolulu, HI
Juror: Tanja Softic
2006 Honolulu Printmakers Annual Exhibition Academy Art Center at Linekona, Honolulu, HI
Juror: Paul Rangell
2005 Berkeley Art Center's 22th Annual Juried National
Exhibition		 Berkeley Art Center, Berkeley, CA
Jurors: Karin Breuer and Donald Farnsworth
  Honolulu Printmakers Annual Exhibition Academy Art Center at Linekona, Honolulu, HI
Juror: Kathan Brown

2004

Juried Member’s Exhibition

Hui Noeau Visual Arts Center, Makawao, HI
Juror: Georgianna La Goria

Commitment to Excellence

Academy Art Center at Linekona, Honolulu, HI

 

Artists of Hawaii 2004

Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu, HI
Juror: Janet Koplos

New Prints: Spring 2004

ICPNY, New York, NY
Juror: Barry Walker

Honolulu Printmakers Annual Exhibition

Academy Art Center at Linekona, Honolulu, HI
Juror: Toon Wegner

Windward Art Guild

Honolulu, HI

 2003

Artists of Hawaii 2003

Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu, HI
Juror: George Ellis

Berkeley Art Center’s 20th Annual Juried National Exhibition

Berkeley Art Center, Berkeley, CA
Juror: Marian Parmenter

Honolulu Printmakers Annual Exhibition

Academy Art Center at Linekona, Honolulu, HI
Juror: Hugh Merrill

Commitment to Excellence

Academy Art Center at Linekona, Honolulu, HI

2002

Artists of Hawaii 2002

Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu, HI
Juror: Ned Rifkin

Honolulu Printmakers Annual Exhibition

Academy Art Center at Linekona, Honolulu, HI
Juror: Brendan Hansbro

Commitment to Excellence

AMFAC Plaza Gallery, Honolulu, HI

2001

Artists of Hawaii 2001

Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu, HI
Juror: Arnold L. Lehman

Int’l Juried Show

NJ Center for Visual Arts, Summit, NJ
Juror: Donald Kuspit

Phoenix Gallery National Juried Competition

Phoenix Gallery, New York, NY
Juror: F. Daftari

 

Honolulu Printmakers Annual Exhibition

Academy Art Center at Linekona, Honolulu, HI
Juror:  Eileen Foti

Commitment to Excellence

AMFAC Plaza Gallery, Honolulu, HI

Recycle Show

Honolulu Hale, Honolulu, HI

2000

Honolulu Printmakers Annual Exhibition

Academy Art Center at Linekona, Honolulu, HI
Juror:  Judith Solodkin

Commitment to Excellence

AMFAC Plaza Gallery, Honolulu, HI

 

Let’s Hang All the Lawyers

Foundry Gallery, Washington, DC

1999

Artists of Hawaii 1999

Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu, HI
Juror:  Lucinda Barnes

 

Commitment to Excellence

AMFAC Plaza Gallery, Honolulu, HI

Honolulu Printmakers Annual Exhibition

Academy Art Center at Linekona, Honolulu, HI
Juror:   Jeff Sipple

1998

Artists of Hawaii 1998

Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu, HI
Juror:  Helen Drutt English

Honolulu Printmakers Annual Exhibition

Academy Art Center at Linekona, Honolulu, HI
Juror:  Melvyn Pettersen

Commitment to Excellence

AMFAC Plaza Gallery, Honolulu, HI

Pacific States Biennial National Print Exhibition

University of Hawaii-Hilo, Hilo, HI
Juror:  Charles Cohan

1997

Artists of Hawaii 1997

Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu, HI
Juror:  Adolfo V. Nodal

Honolulu Printmakers Annual Exhibition

Academy Art Center at Linekona, Honolulu, HI
Juror:  Pam Longibardi

1996

Honolulu Printmakers Annual Exhibition

Academy Art Center at Linekona, Honolulu, HI
Juror:  Michi Itami

1995

Honolulu Printmakers Annual Exhibition

Academy Art Center at Linekona, Honolulu, HI 

1994

Honolulu Printmakers Annual Exhibition

Academy Art Center at Linekona, Honolulu, HI

1992

Artists of Hawaii

Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu, HI
   

REPRESENTATION
Anne Reed Gallery, Ketchum, ID

Cedar Street Galleries, Honolulu, HI - www.CedarStreetGalleries.com

The Contemporary Museum Shop, Honolulu, HI - www.tcmhi.org

Fine Art Associates, Honolulu, HI - www.FineArtAssociates.com

Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu, HI - www.HonoluluAcademy.org

Hui Noeau Visual Arts Center, Makawao, HI - www.HuiNoeau.com