Psychedelicatessen: A Powerful Dose of Art by Steve Marcus

Pearl District

When

Ongoing

Days vary, 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

Cost: Starting at $10.00

Where

Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education

724 NW Davis St
Portland, OR 97209

Steve Marcus, affectionately dubbed the “Top Dog of Kosher Pop Art,” brings a vibrant, “psychedelic” visual celebration to the museum. His beloved cartoon universe, created from his home in New York City’s Lower East Side, has been viewed by millions, appearing on five continents in print, fashion, and broadcast media. Marcus’ signature style infuses Jewish cultural motifs with playful comedy and exuberant color. 

This new exhibition is “a combination of his psychedelic history, Hasidic knowledge, and essential drollness” (Up Magazine) and revels in humor, spirituality, and communal joy, offering a visual feast that invites laughter, uplift, and the transformative power of whimsy. Inspired by a fusion of the psychedelic hippie culture of the 1960s, Judaism, and Jewish Culture, Marcus’ hand-drawn works on paper and handmade objects are colorful and comical flashbacks.

Viewers take a mystical tour on the magic bus down an irreverent, fun, and insightful road that reveals his quirky sense of humor and passion for his own roots and culture. The new project seamlessly marries Marcus’ Jewish spirituality with his past involvement in the counterculture and the cannabis reform movement, putting a modern spin on Jewish subjects and life that form alternative culture classics for new generations of modern Jews.

Turn on, tune in, drop in, and enjoy, laugh, and space out on Steve Marcus’ kabbalistic Jewish artwork inspired by underground comics, Hasidism, and the psychedelic art of the free love era.

This exhibition is made possible by the Alice and Paul Meyer Exhibition Fund, with additional support from the Judy Margles Education and Culture Fund and the Craig E. Wollner Exhibition Fund.