Framing
Framing was created to be displayed in Germany, where Nazi symbols are illegal unless used in an educational context. Accordingly, Framing questions the possibilities and limits of education and commemoration.
Engraved onto glass and partially painted, these children's drawings are an important historical document that Laufer had unexpectedly found in the archive of Kibbutz Hazorea. The drawings which were created in the classroom during the Israeli Holocaust Commemoration Day in the mid 1980s, evoke the psyche of the third generation Holocaust survivors; The intergenerational trauma and the children's and their teachers’ attempt to process through is revealed through the complex visual narratives and use of particular materials and colours.
Rescued from the obscurity of the archive, the exhibited drawings receive respect, visibility and permanence, untypical of childrens’ drawings. Yet, by hanging them next to the glass façade or window, they become partially inconspicuous. Depending on the time of day, weather and perspective, they can be clearly seen, or missed. Through a play of light and shade, the drawings are often amplified and with this also transcribed onto the windows or walls. The shadows in between the glass panes reflect the fragility of living in and with the shadow(s) of the Holocaust.
Photo: Moritz Vietze
