The main theme of my artistic work is the search for my own Jewish identity. In it, I refer to the lack of knowledge of my own roots and to the lack of a sense of unity in the family, in both a historical and cultural sense. The lack of this bond is conditioned by my personal family history.
Elżbieta Brzuska-Wojciechowska, my grandmother, was born in the Warsaw ghetto, although her birthplace records say: “Gdańsk-Wrzeszcz”. The real date of my grandmother’s birth is also unknown. Elżbieta Brzuska-Wojciechowska was brought up by a Polish family, and only after the death of the people she considered to be her parents did she discover her Jewish origin. While trying to find her own roots and regain a sense of belonging to the Jewish nation, she became involved in the creation of the Children of the Holocaust Association. To this day, however, it has not been possible to establish who her real parents were. Therefore, my grandmother, and consequently also I myself, live without knowing about our family’s past.
In my artistic project, I wanted to touch on a sense of being suspended in the vacuum of history and the lack of an important part of my own identity. As the third generation, I feel a certain distance to the events of the Holocaust, because neither my grandmother nor I remember it. However, by using anonymous, forgotten photographs I am trying to create a kind of personal memorial to my ancestors, whom I did not get to know. In these circumstances, I believe that Marianne Hirsch’s concept is perfectly complemented by Susan Sontag’s remarks on memory. Sontag claims that each memory is unique, individual and goes with the person. Collective memory, on the other hand, is fixed, not remembering in itself. As part of my artistic work, I am trying to establish something that I cannot remember.
The title of my work alludes to the tragedy of the Holocaust, paraphrasing the title of Kohelet’s poem, Nothing New Under the Sun.
The choice of means and solutions in my artistic work is determined by my Jewish origin. I draw consciously from selected symbols of Judaic culture, such as stones, canvas and water.
Creator of the exhibition: Rafał Wojciechowski
Opening: Sunday, July 4, 2021 / the exhibition will be open for the whole following month
Time: 13:00
Location: CentrALT Space , 9 Józefińska St.
This event is part of the inaugural programme of the new CentrALT Space, and the closing event of FestivALT’s 5th edition!
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Facebook Event ->Click HERE!
The project was carried out in cooperation with Allianz Kulturstiftung.