Sculpture
#8
- Description
- Of a 12-panel sculpture titled M’AHL by Tobi Kahn, this is number 8. The sculptural panel is made of acrylic on wood and is meant to evoke a cityscape. The panel is signed, dated, and numbered on the reverse.
- Historical Notes
- M’AHL is a 12-piece floor sculpture comprised of thousands of wood remnants from works the artist had executed in his studio since September 11, 2001. The piece is meant to be viewed from an elevated perspective, suggesting the view from the North Tower’s Windows on the World restaurant. This piece, donated to the Museum, is one component of the sculpture.
Curator's Comment
The child of Holocaust survivors, Tobi Kahn thinks deeply about the shape and meaning of commemorating loss. He describes himself as obsessed with memory, believing that art can be a redemptive, healing force. Kahn’s artwork is both spiritual and secular, with commissions that span Holocaust memorials to a hospice meditation room.
In conjunction with the 10th anniversary of 9/11, Kahn created M’AHL, a sculpture comprised of 12 independent segments for an installation titled Embodied Light: 9/11. Constructed of wood pieces leftover from sculptures Kahn had made during the intervening decade, M’AHL embodies the artist’s memories of time spent with his parents and grandparents at Windows on the World, the restaurant high atop the North Tower. M’AHL is an abstraction of the view from that once-storied place, reimagined after the collapse of the Twin Towers. Kahn last visited the World Trade Center with his son just weeks before 9/11. On the day of the attacks, he witnessed the destruction from the rooftop of his studio in Long Island City.
In conjunction with the 10th anniversary of 9/11, Kahn created M’AHL, a sculpture comprised of 12 independent segments for an installation titled Embodied Light: 9/11. Constructed of wood pieces leftover from sculptures Kahn had made during the intervening decade, M’AHL embodies the artist’s memories of time spent with his parents and grandparents at Windows on the World, the restaurant high atop the North Tower. M’AHL is an abstraction of the view from that once-storied place, reimagined after the collapse of the Twin Towers. Kahn last visited the World Trade Center with his son just weeks before 9/11. On the day of the attacks, he witnessed the destruction from the rooftop of his studio in Long Island City.
- Accession Number: C.2015.80.1
- Dimensions: 20 in X 15 in X 4.5 in
- Dimensions (Metric): 50.8 cm X 38.1 cm X 11.43 cm
- Source: Tobi Kahn
- Credit Line: Collection 9/11 Memorial Museum
All materials made publicly available by the 9/11 Memorial & Museum on this site are intended for research and educational use only. Users may need to obtain other permissions for their intended use(s) and are responsible for determining copyright status and securing these permissions.
To inquire about copyrights and reproductions, contact: xxx@911memorial.org
