CAREN GARFEN

NEXT YEAR IN JERUSALEM, 2023

L'Shana Haba'ah B'Yerushalayim

לשנה הבאה בירושלים

This artwork has been created to represent a family Passover Seder, a ritual meal to retell the story of the Israelites’ exodus from slavery in ancient Egypt. Four cups of wine are imbibed at specific times during the evening. Ten drops of wine are spilled to symbolise The Ten Plagues. At the end of the meal the words ‘Next Year in Jerusalem’ are spoken.

Research was carried out to reveal how many innocent men, women and children have been killed in terror attacks in Jerusalem in the 21st century. The wine becomes a symbol of blood that has been spilled over many, many years.

The Seder is a traditional home-gathering of a meal and service with family and friends. A Haggadah (an ancient text) is used to recite the story of the liberation of the Israelites from slavery. During the first half of the night, matzos (unleavened flatbreads, reminding us that the Israelites left Egypt in haste and there was no time for their bread to rise), maror (bitter herbs which symbolise the bitterness of slavery), and charoset (a sweet paste, symbolising the mortar that the Jewish slaves used to cement bricks) are eaten. In the second half of the evening, more matzo is eaten (the "bread of freedom" as well as the "bread of affliction"). Four glasses of red Kiddish wine are drunk at specific times, often staining the tablecloth and the Haggadahs as the evening wears on!

Measurement: 80cm x 80cm x 15cm

Process: Hand stitch

Materials: 100 small vintage wine glasses, textile, silk threads, Israeli red wine

Exhibited in:

Fabricated? Solo Exhibition, London, England (1 October 2024 - 31 January 2025)

comments

• This is a brilliant and terribly sad homage to terrorism. Art didn’t save these lives, but you have saved their stories and memories

• So powerful, thank you so much for your profound work

• Shocking destruction of life

• Worse than senseless - we must have hope for better times

• Such incredibly powerful work