Join The Neighborhood for I Put A Spell – an exhibition of works created by Tirtzah Bassel (2025 Peleh Resident) that portray witches, ancestral stories of magic and mysticism, and reclaimed female power.

Gallery Hours:

January 10 - February 8

Wednesday - Sunday 12:00PM - 6:00 PM

Opening Reception:

January 10, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

In I Put A Spell, artist Tirtzah Bassel imagines women moving uninhibited through space exploring ideas of unruly freedom, unapologetic movement, and reclaimed power. Her large scale paintings show witch-like beings, with their hooked noses, wild hair, and unapologetic motion.

The work critiques the Western, Christian-centric construction of the witch and expands outward to explore alternative frameworks for understanding magic – a trajectory which has led Bassel to return to Jewish stories of prophets, miracle workers, and priests. This work centers on action and gesture — demanding rain, drawing protective circles, entering mystical orchards, and using the body as the bridge between ancient narrative and contemporary experience.

This exhibition is part of the Peleh Family Residency, a program of The Neighborhood: An Urban Center for Jewish Life supported by The Peleh Fund. The Peleh Family Residency is based in Berkeley, CA and Brooklyn, NY, and seeks to help artists of all disciplines strengthen their practice by offering them time, space, and support. Designed to accommodate artists with families, the residency provides a space for retreat, reflection, and art-making, and an opportunity to foster new collaborations, audiences, and connections. The Peleh Family Residency was founded in honor of Ruth Silverman whose spirit guides this endeavor.

Image: Four Sweepers of the Apocalypse, 72”x96”, oil on canvas, 2025, detail. Photo credit: Barry Rosenthal, courtesy of SLAG&RX