Abshalom Jac Lahav is a non-binary Persian/Polish artist and social activist born in Jerusalem (Israel) and raised in the United States.
Lahav’s paintings involve re-telling new and old narratives about community, belonging and cultural history. His portraits speak to group identities in pop-culture. Lahav’s eccentric blue plant painting began during the pandemic, during which time he became a licensed foster parent. They are meditations on parenthood and nurturing. These works also reference Lahav’s childhood memories of the white stucco house his grandmother filled with succulents in 1970’s Israel.
Recently his series “The Great Americans” was shown at the Florence Griswold Museum (CT) where he received a grant from the Connecticut Humanities Foundation. His work can be found in multiple public collections throughout the US including the Jewish Museum Milwaukee, WI; Florence Griswold Museum, Lyme CT; Longview Museum of Fine Art, Longview TX, and Saginaw Art Museum, Saginaw MI to name a few. Lahav’s social practice is focused on equity and social justice in America. In 2020 he helped found the group Public Art For Racial Justice Education in Connecticut where he heads up educational programming and is actively creating community action artworks.