Miriam Cahn: I As Human

“I find the depiction of the body, whether male or female, a key issue in processing contemporariness, or rather, in grabbing hold of the 'now'.” - Miriam Cahn

Published by the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, the book Miriam Cahn: I As Human explores Miriam Cahn’s work from multiple perspectives, including those of art historians, critics, and philosophers, while also focusing on the 2019 traveling solo exhibition Miriam Cahn: I As Human held at the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw.

Born in 1949, Cahn has witnessed various social conflicts, wars, and acts of violence over the past forty years. Her anger at the injustices and suffering occurring in society has also driven her artistic practice. In the exhibition Miriam Cahn: I As Human, in addition to paintings, Cahn’s works in performance, text, and video are presented, as well as sketchbooks never before publicly exhibited. From early black-and-white charcoal drawings to nude oil portraits, the exhibition comprehensively traces Cahn’s creative trajectory over more than forty years. The exhibition title I As Human was proposed by Cahn herself, answering recurring questions in the show: “Who am I?” and “What does it mean to be a human being today?” Beyond expressing her social concerns through art, Cahn actively participated in feminist and anti-nuclear movements as early as the 1970s, demonstrating a life and practice that uncompromisingly respond to the surrounding society.