In Auschwitz, I felt the presence of its ghosts guiding me, guiding my
camera, and was then, and continue to be now, moved to share this place's
tale of tragedy through the images I saw through my lens.
This work combines my life experiences and Jewish heritage with poetic and
photographic influences: poets Stanley Kunitz and William Carlos Williams;
and photographers André Kertesz, Walker Evans, and Roy DeCarava. I consider
my Auschwitz images to be poetic images that profoundly illustrate what I
strive for in my work: neither form nor content overwhelms the other and
the tension between them remains unresolved.
Equally important to my artistic vision is my commitment to Auschwitz as a
meditation on decay and memory. Like others' sacred grounds that have been
neglected and are decaying, (i.e. Rwanda and Cambodia), Auschwitz today is
disappearing. The loss of its spirirtual presence raises major questions
about whether places of this kind, and others such as NYC's World Trade
Center, should be restored and the importance of memory and commemoration.
"A Requiem" shares a common perspective with all peoples who have
experienced violence and loss. I created this exhibition to provide a
visceral experience: for visitors to feel the presence of unspeakable
horror, convey the ever present pathos of desolation, and give a real sense
of the large scale of this death camp. My intention is to touch a
respondent chord in a diverse and wide group of nationalities, religions,
and cultures. In turn, "A Requiem" will create a dialogue about killing
fields the world over and the universal problems of hate and evil.
For more information about the exhibition, please visit: http://www.guestcurator.com/viewexhibition.asp?id=119
For more information about Susan May Tell, please visit: http://www.digitalrailroad.net/susanmaytell/Default.aspx
To see a preview of Requiem, the book, please visit: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/370937
"We learn, as the thread plays out, that we belong
Less to what flatters us than to what scars." - Stanley Kunitz.
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Exhibition Space