Dimensions:

Un-altered shofar:
10" x 6" across, 4.5" height

Sectioned shofar:
14" x 9", 3" height

Full setup (both side-by-side in circular formation):
14" x 13", 4.5" at peak height

Tabb writes of this work in the "Humanity Is Not A Spectator Sport" exhibition catalogue (available for purchase):

"A shofar is a hollowed ram’s horn that is typically blown like a trumpet during Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) and at the end of Yom Kippur (the Jewish Day of Atonement, the holiest day in the calendar) during synagogue services.

The four sounds of the shofar—tekkiah, shevarim, teruah, and tekkiah gedolah—remind many people of a wailing voice. Hearing the shofar’s call is a reminder for us to look inward, to repent for misgivings of the past year, and to consider our actions for the year ahead.

As a child, I recall going to synagogue with my family and listening with reverence and awe to the sound of the shofar at the end of Yom Kippur. The powerful sound signified the end of the fast and the ‘real’ beginning of the Jewish New Year. I recall never being sure I had repented enough, never fully understanding what that meant.

Years later as an adult, I still find myself listening intently, at times trembling with awe as the shofar is sounded, wondering what awaits me in the year ahead.

The first sound, tekkiah, is a single long and lively note as if one were greeting a royal ruler. The second, shevarim, is a series of three short blasts that is said to remind listeners of sobbing or sighing, and the third, teruah, a long trembling sound of nine sharp notes that is likened to the sound of an alarm. The fourth and final sound, tekkiah gedolah, is one long note held until it takes the blower’s breath away like a wailing cry.

In September 2020, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, the former Chief Rabbi of England wrote, “The shofar is the wordless cry of the heart of a religion made of words. Judaism is a profoundly verbal culture. Yet there is a time for emotions that lie too deep for words. The sound of the shofar breaks through the carapace of the self-justifying mind and touches us at the most primal level of our being.”

The shofar is an inanimate object. It can only be activated with the intent and breath of the blower. Our intentions are sometimes like a shofar. They can sit unused on a shelf, looking pretty all year. It is only when we act on them that their power becomes realized.

The shofarot in this piece (Hebrew, plural for shofar)—pierced and cut—suggest the necessity for both intention and ac-
tion. One without the other lacks the purpose necessary to make meaningful change."

...

Caron Tabb’s newest show, Humanity Is Not A Spectator Sport explores many subjects, from her white privilege to how all viewers can engage in social justice through art. Using not only her own works, body, mind and experience, but also gallery walls, Tabb’s feminist contemporary art as a jewish female artist leads to unique creations. Weaving in her South African origins, her Israeli upbringing and her last two decades in the United States, Tabb’s unique yet international style in art sets her apart. Now working from Boston, her conceptual wall art and sculptures continue to grow and evolve.

For more images of each piece, please inquire above or contact Beacon Gallery. Virtual or in-person visits to see the work are also available.