Golems
Shari Pedowitz
2025
digital art
limited edition of only 18 prints total
metal print size 18 x 18 inches
These are not your bubbe’s golems. Shari Pedowitz has conjured three avatars of Jewish resilience, myth, and mischievous camp. In Jewish folklore, the golem has always been the muscle, sculpted from clay, animated by sacred words, a protector when the world wasn’t exactly rolling out the welcome mat for Jews. Traditionally, he’s hulking, stoic, a little terrifying. But Shari has rewritten the script, dusted it with glitter, and delivered a neon-fabulous, gender-neutral retelling.
Gadol the Golem struts in first: a soft pinkish purple, butterflies fluttering on their chest like statement jewelry. They’re here to protect and to seduce, making protection look couture. A gentle giant turned glam guardian, they prove that strength can shimmer.
Glick the Golem is the disco-ball defender: iridescent, effervescent, wrapped in bubbles of light like they just sashayed out of a 1970s Tel Aviv nightclub. They radiate shimmer and joy, reclaiming the myth not as heavy or brooding, but as luminous, celebratory, and unshakably alive.
Grogger the Golem is the loudest of the trio: psychedelic, rainbow-striped, fringed with a carnival of texture. Just like the Purim noisemaker they’re named for, they drown out the haters with color, chaos, and unapologetic joy. Resistance, here, is fabulous, and survival is glitter-soaked.
Together, these golems guard not only the Jewish people, but Jewish joy, flamboyance, and fabulousness across time, Israel, and the diaspora. Shari’s golems don’t hide in the shadows of old stone Prague. They glow, they strut, and they remind us that resilience can be sassy, sparkly, and utterly unstoppable.
Gadol the Golem, 2025, rainbow-eyed pinkish purple golem with three butterflies, floral elements, and pastel rainbow highlights
Glick the Golem, 2025, magenta-eyed pinkish purple golem with bubbles and pastel rainbow highlights
Grogger the Golem, 2025, blue-eyed neon rainbow golem with floral elements and digital glitter