REVIEWS
BOOK REVIEWS
The Monster Book Club
'The Living Mummy' reviewed by Eerie Searleman (Nov 15, 2021)
Hevira
'Cooking with The Anarchist Kosher Cookbook' reviewed by Matthew Roth (March 22, 2018)
https://hevria.com/matthue/cooking-with-the-anarchist-kosher-cookbook/
Jewcy, brought to you by Tablet Magazine
'The Anarchist Kosher Cookbook' reviewed by Simone Somekh (March 9, 2018)
https://www.jewcy.com/arts-and-culture/anarchist-kosher-cookbook/
ART REVIEWS
The Times of Israel
My Long 5th of July Jewish Cultural Crawl in NYC by Van "Ze'ev" Wallach (Aug 7, 2024)
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https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/my-long-5th-of-july-jewish-cultural-crawl-in-nyc/
Meer
Artists on Antisemitism (Aug 7, 2024)
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The Forward
The distressing truth behind an exhibit about antisemitism — it’s always timely by Stav Ziv (July 5, 2024)
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Nearby, a tiny Lego figurine is encased in glass. “Emergency Golem,” says a label affixed to the top of the small frame. “It’s a safety device, just like a fire extinguisher,” said the artist, Maxwell Bauman, who reimagined the 16th century protector for contemporary times.
“It wouldn’t be enough to put out, say, a forest fire, like the forest fire of hate that we’re dealing with right now. But it would be enough for, say, your curtains catching on fire ‘by accident,’” he added. “It’s something small but powerful to protect you.”
Of the metaphorical forest fire, Bauman said: “​​It’s never really felt this bad.”
Jewish Standard​
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“Artists on Antisemitism”: Local artist’s downtown gallery reacts to our new world by Joanne Palmer (July 3, 2024)
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​​https://jewishstandard.timesofisrael.com/artists-on-antisemitism/​
“There’s a tiny little golem, made of Legos, by Maxwell Bauman. It’s behind a glass door; you can break it in case of emergency,” Ms. Verwer said.
Bet Magazine Mosaico; Sito ufficiale della Comunità Ebraica di Milano
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“Artists on Antisemitism”: la mostra collettiva sull’antisemitismo apre a New York​ by Pietro Baragiola (June 30, 2024)
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(“Artists on Antisemitism”: Group Exhibition on Antisemitism Opens in New York)
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Altri artisti della mostra che stanno facendo breccia nei cuori dei visitatori sono: ... Maxwell Bauman e il suo “Emergency Golem”, un’opera tridimensionale che raffigura il famoso protettore del popolo ebraico rivisitato in stile Lego e conservato all’interno di una scatola di plastica da “rompere in caso di emergenza”
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Other artists in the exhibition who are making inroads into the hearts of visitors are: ... Maxwell Bauman and his “Emergency Golem,” a three-dimensional work depicting the famous protector of the Jewish people revisited in Lego style and preserved inside a plastic box to be “broken in case of emergency”
“Emergency Golem” (2024) by Maxwell Bauman. Construction, Lego Blocks; 8 x 8 x 3.
The Jewish Press; America's Largest independent Jewish Weekly
Exhibition Review: Jewish Artists Take On Jew-Hate by Richard McBee (June 28, 2024)
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(They used my art piece, "Emergency Golem" as the main art for the review!)
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​“Emergency Golem” (2024) by Maxwell Bauman takes self-defense to a more complex and ironic level. In a well labeled box with a glass front sits a diminutive Lego brick figurine. Much like the golem legend centering on Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel of Prague 400 years ago, the little automaton figure stands ready to be symbolically summoned to defend the Jewish people against the current surges of antisemitism. Bauman’s “Golem” draws upon contemporary powers for his artwork, specifically the very real need to protect the Jewish people, here marshaling an allusion to the mighty powers of the Lego corporate toy empire, in much the same way that Barbie The Movie capitalized and transformed the Mattel Corporation’s Barbie doll into a feminist tale.
Jewish Telegraph Agency
A Tribeca gallery is showcasing art about antisemitism, including a Hitler-Kanye West portrait by Julia Gergely (June 24, 2024)
"Meanwhile, one three-dimensional piece, “Emergency Golem” created by Maxwell Bauman, is a riff on the protector of the Jewish people first found in 16th-century legend: It’s a golem made out of Legos and stored inside a “break-in-case-of-emergency” plastic box."​
Left: “Emergency Golem” by Maxwell Bauman Right: “Our Voice – Ambassador Lipstadt” by Isaac Ben Aharon. (Roman Dean)
The Brothers Brick
'Yes, I'm sure this is art' by Leigh (April 30, 2016)
https://www.brothers-brick.com/2016/04/30/yes-im-sure-this-is-art/
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Surely you’ve heard of Salvador Dalí, the great Spanish painter known for his vivid surrealist imagery. In 1976, he painted Gala contemplating the Mediterranean Sea which at a distance of 20 meters is transformed into the portrait of Abraham Lincoln, which is not totally unlike our modern “magic eye” drawings. The name may be long and unwieldly, but it’s a very literal description of the painting.
Does it work? Let’s try an experiment. Have a look at Max to the well‘s excellent representation of the painting. You can clearly see a figure standing in the middle of the model, facing away from you. That’s meant to be Gala, Dalí’s wife, staring at the sea. Now, move your chair back, away from your computer. You probably won’t be able to go 20 meters, but you can probably go 5 meters (about 16 feet). Now what do you see? Be honest, it looks a little bit like Abraham Lincoln, doesn’t it?
The A.V. Club
'This guy made The Late Show With Stephen Colbert set out of Legos' by Derrick Rossignol (Feb 16, 2016)
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https://www.avclub.com/this-guy-made-the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-set-ou-1798244334
Stephen Colbert’s set has always been an important part of his television personality, whether we’re talking about the self-praising environment found on The Colbert Report or the often projected-upon ceiling of The Late Show. Colbert also uses his space well, finding a purpose for every corner of it and effectively making it a character on the show. Lego artist Maxwell Bauman decided to pay tribute to The Late Show set the best way he knows how: by recreating it brick by brick with Lego.