Pairing of Polarities: The Life and Art of Sonya Rapoport

Sonya Rapoport has long been a pioneer in the merging of science and technology with art. Now in her eighties, Rapoport's work has been shown internationally, including as part of traveling exhibitions sponsored by the U.S. Information Service and the National Endowment for the Arts. In honor of her trememendous contributions and accomplishments, twelve noted scholars, scientists, and art historians have come together in this book to discuss her work. The result is an engaging look at a career that covers half a century and spans genres from traditional artforms to abstract expressionism and digital art.

Editor Terri Cohn, cocurator of two upcoming retrospective exhibits of Rapoport's work--at the Kala Art Institute and the Mills College Art Museum--calls her a systems conceptual artist whose artwork mediates scientific, feminist, Jewish, and sociopolitical themes. At times her work is playful or downright humorous, at others uncommon or disturbing. Rapoport combines her formal training as a painter and her clear bent toward mathematical thinking with audience participation and web-based media, always pushing boundaries and creating meaningful relationships across seemingly unrelated fields.