Work samples
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Mastodon's Natural History rs1.jpg2021 22”h, 30”w, gouache and watercolour A natural history museum is reinvented for a post Covid19 world. The external space becomes internal to allow for plenty of ventilation and to imagine these megafauna in their original habitat. The Chinoiserie background may represent wallpaper or it is an idealized view of what is outside the window. Perhaps the outside is beautiful and inviting, or it may be too toxic for humans. The mastodon is stepping off its pedestal to become part of the environment. The ground is made of collaged images of archeological debris, replicating many successive layers of civilization. -
No Longer Extinct2022 collage, watercolour, gouache, coloured pencil, marker 22”h, 18”w The ivory billed woodpecker was removed from the endangered species list and not for a good reason; it was thought to have gone extinct in the middle of the twentieth century. The last official sighting was in Cuba in 1986. The bird was rediscovered in the "Big Woods" region of eastern Arkansas in 2004 while identification of the species sighted is a hot debate topic amongst ornithologists. The largest contributor to the collapse of the ivorybilled is habitat fragmentation and loss. The wooded area the bird once occupied extended from southern Florida to Ohio. Much of that forest was lost to logging. I show the cypress tree in fragments in my collage to comment on this habitat loss. In my depiction of the species, also known as the Lord G-d Bird or the Ghost Bird, I appropriate the well-known Audubon illustration (circa 1830) and show it in a partial state, as if the illustration is disappearing. Line drawings of the bird show partial states of being; connect the dots and paint by numbers further illustrate the demise of the largest species of woodpecker in the New World. -
Titian Peale's Revealcollage 2021 22”h, 16”w Titian Peale, had by age of twenty-four established himself as the foremost bird illustrator in the United States prior to John James Audubon’s debut and he revealed that one of Audubon’s illustration of an American condor; Falco washingtoniensis was a fake. I collaged a likeness of Audubon’s Condor into a mechanical bird that is partially made of graphs of its genetic components. The graph used for the tail feathers compares different condor chromosomes and finds there are correlations with locations of sequence variation and amounts of a genetic process called recombination which results in heterozygosity. The California condor was declared extinct in the wild in 1987 when all 27 remaining individuals were captured as part of a conservation plan. All the existing birds of this species are descended from those that were rescued. The inclusion of chromosomal information refers to the recent discovery of parthenogenesis in three Californa condor chicks, born without any male genetic contribution. This discovery came at the perfect time for my creation. -
Capra Hircus Mambricacollage and watercolour 2021 20”h, 22.5”w This started with my interest in a 1950s map of middle eastern oil resources. I combine that with an endangered Israeli black goat. The barcodes and QR codes represent the commodification of resources extracted from the land. The black goat was nearly exterminated to favor the agricultural use of land in the early state of Israel. After forest fires on Mount Carmel in 2014, there was motivation to revitalize herds of indigenous black goats who eat underbrush, aiding in the mitigation of forest fires. Red outlines delineate oil pipelines and simultaneously burnt trees.
About Anna
Baltimore City
Anna Fine Foer decided she was going to be an artist when she was 11-when she lived in Paris for a summer, visiting every museum and gallery. As a fibers/crafts major at Philadelphia College of Art (now University of the Arts) she became fascinated by the relationship between maps and the land they represent, embarking on a lifelong interest in maps and collage.
After emigrating to Israel, Anna worked as a textile conservator in Haifa and Tel-Aviv. She studied at the Textile… more
After emigrating to Israel, Anna worked as a textile conservator in Haifa and Tel-Aviv. She studied at the Textile… more
Compensation for Loss: Cabinet of Curiosity
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A Monument to the Age of Discovery’s Arrival in the Age of Reckoningcollage and watercolour 22”h, 30”w 2021 A map of Baltimore’s harbour and environs resembles a Renaissance map coming into contact with the year 2020. Sea monsters devour masted ships on uncharted waters and are to be feared by all who venture near. Meanwhile, these modern menaces surround us; police helicopters, drones, rats, fireworks and squeegee boys. The tableau is in the form of a monument pedestal. In this case the monument is empty as the statue - commemorating Columbus - is tossed in the harbour while his ships are attacked by monsters. -
Birds of Display.jpg2022 collage and hand-colouring 13″h. 17.5″w Maps of the iconic American Museum of Natural History are fabricated into the cabinetry for my diorama of disparate birds and ancient or not so ancient birds. Scientific classification is part of the tableau, represented by a periodic table of the elements. -
Phylogenic Entanglement2022 30”h, 22”W collage With more accurate observational techniques available to scientists - more discoveries abound that demonstrate how biological and physical states of being are less delineated and more entangled than previously hypothesized. For example; physicists tell us that particles are entangled, the hemispheres of the human brain are interconnected by way of neurons “firing”, and as this collage illustrates, the diagram and metaphor of tree branches representing species are inaccurate. The misleading cladogram (diagrams that depict the relationships between different groups of taxa called “clades”) envisioned by Darwin did not comprehend microbial entities that enter plant and animal genomes via horizontal gene transfer and account for part of all biological and botanical inheritance. Tangled branches must reconverge. -
#Dodo Bird Lives Should Have Mattered2020 22”h,18”w watercolour, collage and metallic thread This is part of a series about endangered or extinct species that require human intervention for survival. The dodo bird is an extinct flightless bird that was found on the island of Mauritius and survived less than 100 years. The first recorded sighting was by Dutch sailors in 1598 and the last recorded sighting was in 1662. It became flightless because there was an abundance of food and had no predators and no defense mechanisms. It was wiped out not only by humans but also by the invasive species humans brought with them such as dogs and rats. I created a flying apparatus to assist the dodo bird. The dodo bird is a symbol of extinction and obsolescence. -
Compensation for Loss2019 22”h, 16” w watercolour and collage A cracked turtle shell is repaired with Delf tiles decorated with images of a turtle and a tortoise. Losses in the natural world are compensated for with man made replicas. -
I Don't Know Who the Arsonist Is2022 20.5”h, 24.75”w collage, watercolour and gouache The wall along the Mexico/US border is contributing to geographic species fragmentation while forest fires decimate their habitat. The faux painted trompe-l’oeil wall is an attempt to reflect the surrounding landscape as if it can mitigate the damage it inflicts. A deer has died along the border near a turnstile opening detectable to its particular visible colour spectrum. Collaged, camouflauge patterned papers imitate a barren, desert terrain, mountains and forests on fire. (the title is a tribute to Joni Mitchell) -
HybridA watercolour illustration of a hybrid zebra/kudu. -
Cabinet of Non-Fungible Curiosities2021 collage, watercolour and cicada wings 30”h, 22”w A future Cabinet of Curiosities showcasing chimeras made into NFT’s, specimens of natural history and Pokemon characters. In the future, NFTs will be part of museum displays and I give you a glimpse of that inevitability. -
Meterorici, Tropicia and Acquinoctales2021 22.5”h, 21.75”w collage and watercolour This composition is based on a floral clock that Linnaeus theorized. The title refers to the different groupings of opening and closing times; meteororici are blooms whose opening and closing times are weather dependent, tropici opening and closing times depend on the length of daylight and acquinoctales blooms have fixed opening and closing times. Shadows refer to a sundial and give us some orientation to the time of day. It was interesting to find a way to illustrate more than 12 hours on a clock face. -
Massai Shields for a Pangolinwatercolour and collage 2020 20”h, 22”w Endangered pangolins are the only mammals wholly covered in scales and they use those scales to protect themselves from predators in the wild. If under threat, a pangolin will immediately curl into a tight ball and use their sharp-scaled tails to defend themselves. In this case, an added layer of protection; Massai shields defend against accusations that pangolins are responsible for the zoonotic transmission of the coronavirus from bats to humans. This early theory of the genesis of Covid19 has since been debunked. Embellishments on the shields resemble pangolin scales leaving no doubt that Massai ornamentation is influenced by the fauna surrounding them.
Natural History Illustrations
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Apis -
Mustela nigripes -
Papilio -
Lemur -
Antilocapra americana -
Campephilus principalis -
Niger Capra -
Cynomys ludovicianus -
Ectopistes migratorius -
Cervus
Tulipmania
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Boeket Tulpen"Boeket Tulpen" collage and watercolour 30"h 22" w An assembly of the styles and materials used throughout the series and is a culmination of more than a year's work and more time than that for research. The inspiration is a traditional Dutch, 17th century still like painting and the vase is inspired by a cabinet of curiosities. Parts of the ground, architecture, sky and flower are collaged with coloured prints of the tulip genome. Incorporating the genome sequence into the architecture enhances its impact on the history of scientific research. -
Mosaic Virus2018 30”h, 22”w collage and watercolour During Tulipmania (Netherlands 1630-37) the most desired tulip petals were striated due to a virus. Eventually, it was a series of bulb manipulation experiments begun in 1928 by Dorothy Cayley at the John Innes Horticultural Institution in Merton, South London, England that led to the discovery of the virus. The virus is known as the tulip break virus, lily streak virus, or tulip mosaic virus. The name of the virus is a central motif in this collage, with a traditional mosaic floor pattern in the shape of a double helix. The helix patterns are collaged with prints of the mosaic virus DNA sequence. The floor also is the fertile ground for a tulip garden, complete with tulips cut out of a visualization of the mosaic virus. The mosaic pattern is made with pigment colour charts referencing an attempt to standardize that which defies regulation, as was the case during Tulipmania. -
Broken Tulipscollage and watercolour, 30”h, 22”w, 2018 Tulips that were the most desired during Tulipmania are referred to as “broken tulips”. The broken aspect is illustrated by torn, upright tulips that have broken and the shards have fallen on the ground. Iconic, tulip patterned Delft tiles form a grid similar to a garden path. The regularity of the patterned tiles is mixed with the organic, irregularity of mutated and broken blooms. -
1. Chloroplast2017 30”h, 22”w collage The chloroplast genome, supplying photosynthesis to flowers is collaged with watercolour flowers. -
Sprinkle Gold Dust2018 collage; hand-dyed rice paper, metallic paper 36” h, 24”w During Tulipmania (Netherlands, 1630’s) alchemic experimentation; sprlnkling gold dust on bulbs, was conducted in an attempt to force the most desired, variegated petal patterns, with no understanding of the cause of disruption to the solidly coloured petals. Gold, bronze and silver coins are breaking off; scattering and realigning amongst tulips, made from orizomegami (Japanese folded and dyed paper). The graphs are of currency value fluctuations; gold compared to euros, gold vs. dollars, etc. to represent the speculative trading of tulip bulbs as currency. -
Tulip Ancestry dot Comwatercolour 2018 22”w, 30”h Tulip bulbs were brought to Holland (by way of Prague) from Turkey. In a similar way, tulip motifs, popular in Turkish textile and ceramic designs, migrated to European design. The tulips on the right are illustrated with Turkish design elements and those on the left mimic how Europeans depicted tulips in the 17th century, during Tulipmania. I thought of this as tracing the tulip bulbs’ ancestry back to Turkey, a la Ancestry dot com. -
A Code for Tulipscollage and drawing on vellum 2018 30”h, 22”w The images used are the result of the first time the tulip genome was sequenced using Oxford Nanapore technology, thanks to a geneticist from Leiden, NL. The collaged DNA sequences express the variegated petals that were the most desired during Tulipmania. Three centuries later, scientists understood this variation in a tulip’s petals was the result of a virus that caused mutations to the tulip genome. The prints are black text on white background and vice versa to illustrate the binary aspect of a gene; it is either on or off. -
The Reflective DNA of Water2018 collage and watercolor 34”h 26”w During Tulipmania (Netherlands, 1630’s) and later, tulips were floated on water to create the illusion of an abundance of blooms in gardens. In this collage, the water is composed of collaged tulip shapes using the tulip genome and of single helices also made from collaged tulip DNA code. -
Tulipa ex Machina2018 watercolour 34”h 26”w The composition expresses engineered, human intervention into the propogation of tulip bulbs to create the desired effects; those of striated, variegated petals that were the most desirable during Tulipmania. -
Hortus Botanicus2018 30”h, 22”w collage, dyed paper flowers, mirrored paper The oldest botanical garden in the Netherlands was the site where Tulipmania blossomed. Mirrors were placed in the garden to create an illusion of an overabundance of the flowers. A collaged tribute to a Rennaisance cabinet of curiosity flanks the bottom of the composition.
Sci-Art
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Garden of Quantum Delights.jpg2017 25”w, 24”h collage Bright sparks depict particles interacting with each other from a distance, known as quantum entanglement. To further illustrate this idea, images of brain circuitry, a diagram of a spinal cord and nerve endings, a map of the internet, satellites and celestial navigation are collaged. Images of celestial navigation refer to antecedents of contempoaray navigation technology. -
Entangled Particles2016 24” x 24” collage This collage is part of a series inspired by recent discoveries in quantum mechanics, proving Einstein’s theory that separate particles could be “entangled” so completely that measuring one particle would instantaneously influence the other, regardless of the distance separating them. -
Arab and European Illustrations of Ampoules2018 18”h, 22.5”w collage Different types of scientific illustration is played with in this collage. Electricity was the craze of the eighteenth century. Thrilling experiments became forms of polite entertainment for ladies and gentlemen who enjoyed feeling sparks, shocks and attractions on their bodies. Popular lecturers designed demonstrations that were performed in darkened salons to increase the spectacle of the so-called electric fire. The Arab example does not include representations of people and relies on depictions of the instruments. -
Intelligent DesignIntelligent Design 2015 collage 22.5”w, 26”h Our brains contain a narrative network that holds vast stores of information about our own and other people’s history. When you experience the world using using the narrative network, you take in information from the outside world, process it through a filter of what everything means and add your interpretation. When we percieve a moment in time; the im- age or spark is a percieved message that is transmitted nonverbally. Synaptic connections transmit these messages in a vast innerconnected network of nerve cells. The collage Intelligent Design illustrates the interweaving of these transmissions; neural synapses, flowing from one to the other. -
Fire Signals to Announce the New Moon26.5”w, 16”h framed collage 2014 During the Second Temple period (530 BCE - 70 CE), Jews in Palestine and in the Babylonian exile were notified of the new moon's arrival by fire beacons that were lit across the mountaintops. The new moon signifies the start of every Jewish month. This type of communication is visually linked to messages sent in our brain; firing neurons. Images of the neural framework are collaged onto and into topographic maps of Israel. -
En Cherchant Pokeomon sur la Promenade des Anglais detailwatercolour, collage 30” w, 27” h 2016 Searching for Pokemon, the augmented reality version became a world wide sensation at the same time as there was a violent attack in Nice, on the Promenade des Anglais. This collage was inspired by a non-extant casino on the promenade and by games, such as roulette and chess. It is a statement about our “civilization” that while some are distracted from reality by game playing, terrorists are attacking innocent people out for a stroll on the promenade. -
A Space Elevator for Tintin2016 21.25”w, 25.25”h, framed An elevator transports parts of earth’s atmosphere up to the exosphere. I was sketching ideas for this collage at the same time as the massacre in Belgium and decided that if anyone needed to be beamed up and away from our planet, it should be Tintin. -
Foer.A. Spooky Action is Real.jpg2016 18”w, 26.5”h, collage The title was borrowed from a New York Times article about recent discoveries in quantum mechanics; that two previously entangled particles, even if separated by the width of the universe, could instantly interact. I was most intrigued by the idea that “ a chain of entangled particles girdling the entire globe”. This discovery has huge implications for digital technology which led me to think about satellites that connect us to the world wide web and navigation, which progessed to celestial navigation, which is illustrated by the diagrammatic patterns and images of ships. -
Time and Space Continuum2007 22x19 framed collage, watercolour Infinity is expressed with overlapping mobius strips representing water. Clocks show the relative, dimensional, and infinite aspects of time and space.
Urban Landscape
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don Quixote's Transit Coins to the Bronx to Defend the Grand Concoursecollage 2019 22”h, 30”w A collage in honour of mi padre; don Fino, a very proud Bronx native and a Spanish professor who was passionate about Cervantes’ masterpiece; don Quixote. Subway tokens represent transit coins and refer a payment or bribe for Charon, the ferryman of Greek mythology who conveyed souls across the River Styxx that divided the world of the living from the dead. The windmill (with reptilian features) and the border of the shield are collaged from photos of Bronx fire escapes. don Quixote is the perfect story to illustrate with collage, as the epic hero imagined the mundane, such as transforming a barber’s basin into a helmet. The Grand Concourse, a main thoroughfare connecting Manhattan to the northern Bronx was referred to lovingly by locals, as the Champs Elysees, after which it is modeled. My father reminded me of the hidalgo, don Quixote, in many ways. Imagining his street in an immigrant ghetto as an elegant Parisian boulevard is an expression of his alter ego. -
Eruv in the Time of Coronawatercolour and collage 2020 22”h, 15”w An eruv is an urban area enclosed by a wire or geographic boundary which symbolically extends the private domain of Jewish households into public areas. Many more people are now familiar with an eruv after watching “Unorthodox”. The eruv in this case, is made of collaged copies of visualizations of the coronavirus, thereby making it the defining element that is keeping us seperated in our dwellings, united by a common threat. Now the public space is transformed into our private spheres. The chair represents all those who have succumbed to the pandemic. The upholstery is spiked to represent virus outbreak data graphs. A nod to the political implications of the spread of the virus and how it is being mitigated and manipulated is in the upper left corner. -
100,000: They Were Not Simply Names on a List, They Were Uscollage 04-07-2020 22”h, 15”w A decision was made, as a first in “modern times” that there would be no picture on the front page of the New York Times on Sunday, 24 May, 2020. The significance of the moment was the number of Covid deaths in the United States reached 100,000. The list of names and brief descriptions represents only a one-hundredth of the deaths, as there are only 1000 names on the page. I obtained a hard copy of the front section of the paper to use for a collage. The use of newspaper copy to commemorate this moment connects my new work to the collage I made as a memorial to 9.11.01, also incorporating a newspaper list of the victims. In lieu of basing the composition on hand drawn interior spaces, I opted to work more directly on photos, a first for my approach to collage. The choice of photos represents the ubiquity of the coronavirus’ spread and those spaces that are off limits to the public; the New York subway, a morgue, a library and an art gallery. The upper floors are a home environment and at the top are hospital ICU units, complete with ventilators. The interior spaces we inhabit now are reflected with an overlay of virtual viewing commands, superimposed on those rooms. The commands of “Next”, “Previous”, “Read More” and “Share” take on new meaning and significance in these confines. -
Ben Franklin's Bridge, Kite and Key.jpegGarden of Quantum Delights 2017 25”w, 24”h collage Bright sparks depict particles interacting with each other from a distance, known as quantum entanglement. To further illustrate this idea, images of brain circuitry, a diagram of a spinal cord and nerve endings, a map of the internet, satellites and celestial navigation are collaged. Images of celestial navigation refer to antecedents of contempoaray navigation technology. -
E S P2017, collage, 25”w, 21”h Multiple copies of an engraving of the Eastern State Penitentiary are collaged with architectural diagrams of the iconic design of the structure. Images of the radii of the floor plan were collaged to resemble ramparts, referring to a medieval protective structure. -
9.11.01Oct, 2001 24.5”w, 32”h, framed collage, hand-colouring The World Trade Towers are made up of stock market quotes and columns of names from the first listing of victims in the newspaper. Victims' names scatter in the breeze and collect at the bottom of the towers. The moment of impact is depicted along with scenes that were recorded later, such as the disfigured rebar and the skyline without the World Trade Towers. -
Steampunk Earthquake in Baltimore2011 20.25”w, 29”h framed, collage The history of Baltimore is the history of the railroad in America, as it is the farthest inland port on the east coast. The recent earthquake is shown by broken columns, which are the Shot Tower. A concentric circular map is the foundation; this 1948 map illustrates how far each circular district is from the central post office. -
16 juni 16372015 18”w, 29”h collage, drawing I wanted to make something quickly; this project took two work days. It depicts both the journey I took on the South Street Ferry to the Governors Island and imaginative time travel back to the Dutch occupation. As I later found out, the date I finished this (June 16) is the same date when, in 1637, the Manhattan Indians sold the island to the Dutch. -
Einstein's Thought Experiment in Central Park2014 22”w, 18”h, framed, collage This collage was inspired by a walk around the reservoir in Central Park and an episode of Radio Lab about one of Einstein’s Thought Experiments. The experiment involved someone wearing roller blades racing their opponent wearing a jetpak travelling 669 million miles an hour. Different speeds are represented by offset squares, in the shape of an arena. Historic landscape diagrams of Central Park are collaged with images of the New York Times building, Times Square, a street and subway map of the area, a historic map of Amsterdam and a map of the island of Manhattan. -
les jardins de Paris2014 28”w, 22”h collage Historic maps of the most ancient parts of Paris are combined with landscape designs of the parks (jardins) and Montgolfier’s balloons to reimagine the cityscape. Although I have been in love with Paris since I lived there as a child, this was the first time I made a collage to represent her beauty.
Pattern
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Mozart, Marzipan and the Golden Meancollage 19.25”w, 21.5”h 2008 Mozart’s music is the inspiration for this collage. The images are combined in the form of the Golden Mean. Patterns are repeated at different scales and shapes to illustrate fractal geometry. The Mozart portraits come from boxes of Mozart candy, which is marzipan covered with chocolate. -
Fractal Faction Wave Action19.25”w, 21.5”h collage 2008 A repeat pattern made of fractal/spiral images is collaged with charts of the galaxy. The result is a configuration of waves to further express the infinte. -
Globalization1980 30”h, 43.5”w collage, hand-drawing -
Patterned III1981 collage, hand-drawing 26” w, 21” h -
Patterned II1981 collage, hand-drawing 26” w, 21” h -
Patterned I1981 collage, hand-drawing 26” w, 21” h -
Blocked Map24”w, 20” h collage -
Oxygen, Hydrogen, Nitrogen and Carbon2005 16”w, 24.75”h The elements that make up atmospheric pollution and can be derived from the earth are symbolized by a molecular diagrammatic pattern in the earth and the sky. It brings to mind the practice of greenhouse gas sublimation -
The Speed of Light = The Speed of Gravitycollage
Geo-Political
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7 October 2023collage and hand-dyed paper 30”h, 22”w 2023
When Israeli communities were by Hamas terrorists on 7 October 2023, many of the lives lost were the same people who were working to conditions for the Palestinians in Gaza. The nazar, seen here in shards, is a traditional, mid-Eastern amulet to ward off the evil eye. In this case, all hopes are fallen, dashed and crumbling.
Available for Purchase -
Kibbutz Gan Barbiecollage 22”h, 30”w 2023
After the Israel-Hamas war, a utopian kibbutz is founded with Israeli and Palestinian Barbies. Agricultural production is in the form of charms growing on trees to ward off evil. This collage was made in response to the atrocities of the war after making a collage depicting the destruction.
Available for Purchase -
ViewMaster2017 collage, 21.5 x 21.5 An updated version of a stereoscope allows one to change the view/scene. Climate maps, diagrams of annual rainfall and climate zones are used as a backdrop to emphasize naturally occuring conditions that are changeable. Emojis and their descripitons are the central concept; highlighting the disconnect between what people write in a text message and what they are really thinking. -
Among Us2021 12”h, 22”w collage After Trump supporting rioters stormed the Capital, the bridges surrounding the city were closed. I depict the rioters as characters in the popular video game #AmongUs. The name of the game was the inspiration and this piece nearly made itself. -
TikTok Intifada2021 16”h, 20.5”w The recent incitement to violence between Israel and Hamas and the resulting rocket attacks from Gaza are blamed on Tik Tok, the social media video sharing platform. Using collage, I built the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood, representing a land dispute in the eye of the storm. I offer memes about compromise and rapprochement, which are needed now the violence is subdued. These icons, on cell phone screens resemble the TikTok view, situated as if they fell from the rockets fired. While searching for the Palestinian Arabic word for co-existence; included here in Hebrew, I asked a Palestinian friend which word best represents the Palestinian desire for a better outcome and he said it is “musalaha” which means “reconciliation”. That word is affixed to the top of the collage. A map of the tunnels from Gaza into Israel flanks the lower part of the collage. -
Weapons Left on the Fieldwatercolour, collage, 29”w, 21”h” 2017 My response to the political turmoil experienced as a result of the 2016 Presidential campaign is an arena, where there is a lull in the fighting. The battle is fought with Tweets. I am always interested in Americans’ anxiety about how to talk to “the other side”, made even more contentious this Thanksgiving. I read many advice columns about how to deal with “drunk uncle” at a holiday gathering which led to the title Weapons Left on the Field. Each faction is not changing their opinion, mearly calling a ceasefire to accomodate family and friends from an opposing political spectrum. I include memes and slogans from Russia, Iran, the UN, Israel and the Occupied Territories, aka Palestine to emphasize the far ranging influences on our recent election and the implications for its outcome. The slogans could change on a daily basis and I would be entertained for a long time. -
Fidget Spinners Found at Al Aqsa.jpg2017 Collage and digital photograph 23” x 25” In this work, the artist utilized news of the recent unrest on the Temple Mount/Al Aqsa/al-Haram ash-Sharif to provide a setting for excavated spinner relics. Foer often combines images, ideas, and sources to invent her collages. A fidget spinner is a toy like a yo-yo and other skill toys. It became extremely popular this past summer. The Fidget Spinner was designed to spin with little effort and consists of a ball-bearing in the center of a multi-lobed flat structure made from metal or plastic designed to spin along its axis with little effort. A version of the toy was invented as early as 1993 by Catherine Hettinger, who explained that she came up with the idea during a trip to Israel in the 1980s, during the First Intifada, imagining it as a toy that would distract Palestinian youth from throwing rocks at Israeli security forces. Foer is interested in the overlap between Hettinger's goals and the American public's involvement in the Arab-Israeli crisis. The artist asks: “What does one do with the pent-up energy of a national movement when it is not being channeled into freedom? How do we safely fidget—and should we be fidgeting at all?” -
The Air Space is Closed2014 22”w, 20” h collage, hand-drawing This collage is one of my reactions to the "conflict" in Gaza, during the summer of 2014. Several ideas combined while making this image, one of which was wanting to know what it means to actually close air space, fortifications and using images of the Iron Dome as architecture to look like ramparts and the barricades used to close neighborhoods for Shabbat. Images of the most ancient and most modern part of cities in Israel are combined to express the idea that the Iron Dome protected all aspects of civilian populations. -
En Cherchant Pokeomon sur la Promenade des Anglais detailwatercolour, collage 30” w, 27” h 2016 Searching for Pokemon, the augmented reality version became a world wide sensation at the same time as there was a violent attack in Nice, on the Promenade des Anglais. This collage was inspired by a non-extant casino on the promenade and by games, such as roulette and chess. It is a statement about our “civilization” that while some are distracted from reality by game playing, terrorists are attacking innocent people out for a stroll on the promenade.
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Hidden Tunnels2014 20.5”w, 15.25”h, framed watercolour, collage The influence for this work is French fortifications and most of all, by tunnels in Gaza used to hide weapons and clandestine entry into Israel. The title means "hidden tunnels". It is telling, that the first new French word I learned this past summer, during the war, while In Paris, was "abri" which means shelter.
Renewable Energy
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la puissance éolienne2012 watercolour, collage 26”w, 20"h Isometric wind turbines are in a field of oceanic wind rose compasses. The turbines are supported by bamboo poles planted in islands made of maps of the Aeolian Islands. sometric wind turbines are in a field of oceanic wind rose compasses. The French named wind power after the Greek god of wind. -
la puissance éolienne detail2012 watercolour, collage 26”w, 20"h Isometric wind turbines are in a field of oceanic wind rose compasses. The turbines are supported by bamboo poles planted in islands made of maps of the Aeolian Islands. sometric wind turbines are in a field of oceanic wind rose compasses. The French named wind power after the Greek god of wind. -
la puissance éolienne in-progressA view of the watercolor before the collaged maps of wind currents were added. -
Pe'Ah: From the Corners of Our Fields2012 21” h, 25”w, framed collage The Torah's model of tzedakah (social justice and support) included a variety of agricultural gifts. Grain and produce that were left or forgotten during the harvest were available for the poor to glean. The corners of the fields (pe'ah) were also designated for the poor. A biblical source for these laws comes from Leviticus 19:9-11: "When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the corner of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You shall not pick your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger; I the Lord am your God”. In this case, the donated grain is power, gleaned from a field of solar panels. -
Pe'Ah: From the Corners of Our Fields detail2012 21” h, 25”w, framed collage The Torah's model of tzedakah (social justice and support) included a variety of agricultural gifts. Grain and produce that were left or forgotten during the harvest were available for the poor to glean. The corners of the fields (pe'ah) were also designated for the poor. A biblical source for these laws comes from Leviticus 19:9-11: "When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the corner of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You shall not pick your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger; I the Lord am your God”. In this case, the donated grain is power, gleaned from a field of solar panels. -
Wind Farm2008 28”w, 23”h, framed, watercolor, collage Pinwheels are growing in fields of wind currents. The fields are made of maps of global wind currents and ocean maps with wind roses (indicating the direction of winds) were used for the sky. -
Growing Wind in Greenland2008 collage, watercolour, 3-dimensional paper shapes 26”w, 26”h, 2”d Pinwheels are growing in fields of wind currents. The fields are made of maps of global wind currents and ocean maps with wind roses (indicating the direction of winds) were used for the sky. I am intrigued with the idea of growing wind. Pinwheels are depicted instead of wind turbines to generate power because they look like flowers. Warm and cool colours were used when painting the pinwheels to represent warm and cool air currents. The stalks of the pinwheels are bamboo poles. -
Growing Wind in Greenland detail2008 collage, watercolour, 3-dimensional paper shapes 26”w, 26”h, 2”d Pinwheels are growing in fields of wind currents. The fields are made of maps of global wind currents and ocean maps with wind roses (indicating the direction of winds) were used for the sky. I am intrigued with the idea of growing wind. Pinwheels are depicted instead of wind turbines to generate power because they look like flowers. Warm and cool colours were used when painting the pinwheels to represent warm and cool air currents. The stalks of the pinwheels are bamboo poles. -
Alternative Fuel Tax2008 27”h, 35”w, 2”deep, framed collage, watercolour, suede, straw A donkey carrying his fuel in a cart is stopped at a toll gate. He cannot proceed without paying a toll/tax. The collaged ground is made of maps from the corn and grain producing, mid-western states. -
Alternative Fuel Tax detail2008 27”h, 35”w, 2”deep, framed collage, watercolour, suede, straw A donkey carrying his fuel in a cart is stopped at a toll gate. He cannot proceed without paying a toll/tax. The collaged ground is made of maps from the corn and grain producing, mid-western states.
Press
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Eclectic Online Show Demystifies High Science with Playful Art | The Creators Project.pdfreview of a group, Sci Art exhibition -
Washington Jewish Week Review of Solo Exhibition at Greater Reston Art Center"For Anna Fine Foer, a fiber artist turned collagist and painter, the idea of place resides firmly at the center of her work."
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Digital Landscapesan interview by Sci Art Center -
The Collages of Anna Fine Foer: Mapping the Political, Ecological, Mystical GLIMPSE journal blog -
Baltimore City Paper Review of MSAC Exhbition about Maps"Each artist meticulously and brilliantly reintegrates his and her imagined worlds from these prodigal shards to construct a new hierarchy, one of aspiration, magnetic pull, and reunification." -
Smithsonian Magazine Online Review of "L(A)ttitudes""Foer's collaged "VaYirkra" looks at what an absence of Israle could mean to its neighbors". Smithsonian Magazine -
Urbanite Review of Camougraphy in Cartapolis""Foer uses her artwork to comment on societal issues, but adds a dose of humor to her critique". Cara Ober for Urbanite -
Annapolis Capital Review of Solo Exhibition"Its always wonderful to have an exhibition by a local artist...It is very well-executed and shows a degree of skill and craftsmanship". L. Bowen (Director of Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts) -
Baltimore Jewish Times Review of Solo Exhibition"From scraps and shreds, she crafts images not just of great beauty, but also of intellectual depth". -
Artscope Magazine Cover Art and Review"Foer's collage embodies the narrative impulse that would stretch collage outward from the tightly constructed epiphanies of the cubists through the fluttering but still highly contained concision of the futurists".
Nurturing Tulips
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Infusiongouache and collage 22”h, 15”w 2023
Microbes and fungi nurture the soils and penetrate tulip bulbs, infusing the leaves and petals.
Available for Purchase -
Fragmented Firmamentcollage 2023 15”h, 22.5”w
Recently, in The Netherlands, there have been friendly competitions between municipalities to remove paving stones from gardens. This seemingly small act will replenish much-needed groundwater reserves. I use the iconic Delft tile to represent the dismantled paving stones. Decorations on the broken tiles allude to the commodification of the land and the sea. Windmills drained the land for agricultural use and the ship drawing refers to Dutch economic success due to their dominance of trade routes coinciding with the 17th century trading frenzy known as Tulipmania. Tulips are nurtured in microbe-rich soil.
Available for Purchase -
Rijkswater: Unpaving the Garden2023 collage, gouache and ink, 22”h, 30”w
Broken shards of tulip-patterned Delft tiles represent recent attempts in the Netherlands to encourage citizens to remove paving stones from their gardens to allow the groundwater to seep through to aid in the propagation of tulip bulbs.
Available for Purchase -
Nurture or Nature2023 collage 18”h, 16”w
In the Netherlands in recent years, the amount of groundwater has been depleted. Initiatives by local municipalities to replenish groundwater reserves include encouraging homeowners to remove their garden paving stones. I depict this action with the collage prints of Delft tiles with windmill patterning that reference the attempts historically to remove the groundwater for agricultural purposes. Actions such as these are welcomed by tulip breeders as a way to enhance the biodiversity and health of the soil that nurtures tulip bulbs.
Available for Purchase
