The kaleidoscopic new exhibit, Psychedelicatessen: A Powerful Dose of Art by Steve Marcus, presents a vibrant parodic mashup of 1960s counterculture and Jewish culture seen through the trippy lens of underground artist Steve Marcus. Inspired by the psychedelic art of the 1960s, Jewish culture, and vernacular graphics, Marcus has created a body of work that twists Jewish tradition together with the visual aesthetics of the Jewish delicatessen and Hippie subcultures.

At the heart of Psychedelicatessen is an exploration of cultural memory from multiple perspectives. Marcus draws upon the rich heritage of Eastern European Jewry and the immigrant experience in America, reimagining these traditions through bold colors, layered imagery, and inventive juxtapositions. His artwork invites viewers to consider how Jewish identity is preserved, transformed, and continually reinvented across generations.

Join us for the opening of Psychedelicatessen featuring YIVO Senior Academic Advisor & Director of Exhibitions Eddy Portnoy in conversation with Marcus.

About the Participants
Steve Marcus has received honors and awards from the American Society of Illustrators, and has several works in the art and American history collections in esteemed institutions, notably the the Oakland Museum of California, The Jewish Museum of Florida – FIU, The Yiddish Book Center, The Harvard Library, YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, and The Miami-Dade PLS. He is acknowledged as one of the Lower East Side’s most culturally influential residents in, “Jews: The People’s History of the Lower East Side,” and his work is written about by professors from Ohio State University, Tulane University, Florida State University, Harvard University and in scholarly books published by Duke University Press, The University of Texas Press, and the Florida International University. He is a member of the American Guild of Judaic Art.

Eddy Portnoy received his Ph.D. in Modern Jewish History from the Jewish Theological Seminary and holds an M.A in Yiddish Studies from Columbia. His articles on Jewish popular culture phenomena have appeared in The Drama Review, Polin, and Studies in Contemporary Jewry, among others. In addition to speaking on Jewish popular culture throughout Europe and North America, he has consulted on museum exhibits at the Museum of the City of New York, Musée d'art et d'histoire du judaïsme in Paris, and the Joods Historisch Museum in Amsterdam. He is the author of Bad Rabbi and Other Strange but True Stories from the Yiddish Press, published by Stanford University Press, 2017.