2024 EXHIBIT
‘Who shall I say is calling?” Heartbreak and Mystery in the Work of Leonard Cohen
In “Who By Fire” (1974), Canadian poet and songwriter Leonard Cohen (1934–2016) borrows the phrasing of a Yom Kippur prayer to pose a series of questions to God in front of the mystery of death.
And who by fire, who by water / Who in the sunshine, who in the nighttime / Who by high ordeal, who by common trial / Who in your merry, merry, month of May / Who by very slow decay / And who shall I say is calling?
This is just one example of how Cohen often asks the question that opens this year’s Encounter theme—“What is happening to our humanity?”—and often asks it to a mysterious Other. Dialogue with this Other often marks his poems, novels, and songs, whether he is asking the “why” of suffering, laying out a broken heart, praising beauty, or recognizing mercy. Cohen’s diligent craftsmanship often enables his audience to hear these things in particularly striking, new, and beautiful ways. This exhibit will accompany its visitors through Leonard Cohen’s questions and illuminate his ways of bringing them to life.
FLYER: PDF | JPG
EXHIBIT PRESENTATION
WITH SEAN WOOD, CURATOR
SAT, FEB 17, 2024
07:15 PM ET | ALTMAN AUDITORIUM
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Featured image: Michael Putland, Leonard Cohen, Getty Images
Click below to view low-resolution exhibit panels. Please contact New York Encounter if you wish to obtain a high-resolution file.
Watch exhibit presentation video
