The art of grief
Bereaved females are the canvas in a new Israeli art exhibition
Louisa Walters is Features Editor at the Jewish News and specialises in food and travel writing
Many women in Israel grapple with loss, fear and profound uncertainty. Artist Tal Bracha has attempted to capture this with When Words Fail You, an exhibition in which the female body serves as a living canvas showing the strength of Israeli women who, now more than ever, are an emotional anchor for those around them.
The powerful artwork connects nine women through bereavement. Women who share the same fate, physically bearing the weight of grief– mourning a son, a daughter or a partner. This commemoration of their loved ones is not just a visual representation but a means of creating dialogue and preserving emotional and historical memory.
Sigalit Zilkha Niewodoswki, who curated the exhibition, was also responsible for 365 Days, an exhibition in Tel Aviv last Succot that commemorated the first anniversary of the Hamas attacks. “My aim is always to create art that brings comfort and a message,” she says.
Sigalit and Tal visited each of the women in their homes to talk to them about the message they wanted to convey. Once each project was completed, Tal took the photos. One of the women, who had lost her son, says: “This was more than therapy. I felt like I had him in my head – like he had been reborn.”
Proceeds from artwork sales will be donated to organisations supporting the recovery and resilience of war victims. Sigalit hopes to take the exhibit to Jewish communities around the world.
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