Remember, 2023

selected - uk

The names of 130 Jewish females, ranging from 5 months to 81 years of age, were selected by the artist because their forenames began with the letter ‘J’. There is one exception, Fortuna Capelouto, who was ruthlessly murdered alongside her twin sister Juliette, at the tender age of five. These names have been carefully hand-sewn onto a vintage cotton handkerchief originating from Germany. These people hailed from all over Europe.

On the ominous date of 5 October 1938, the Reich Ministry of the Interior issued a decree invalidating all German passports held by Jewish individuals. Their documents remained void until they were stamped with the stark red letter ‘J’, singling them out and permanently segregating them from the broader German population. This ‘J’ monogram has been meticulously stitched into one corner of the handkerchief, echoing the style of that harrowing stamp.

Each of these innocent souls fell victim of the merciless cruelty of the Nazis and their collaborators, who spared no one, regardless of age or circumstance. Pregnant women, mothers with small children and the elderly alike were all condemned to their deaths upon arrival at concentration and extermination camps.

Measurement: 28cm x 28cm x 4cm (max)

Process: Hand stitch

Materials: Vintage cotton handkerchief made in Germany, silk threads

Exhibited in:

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

The Broderers’ Exhibition: The Art of Embroidery, Bankside Gallery, London (25 February - 2 March 2025)

COMMENTS

  • This is such a powerful piece, simple, elegant and devastating

  • Shocking cruelty and a truth that is unbearable

  • There are really no words to describe the horror that these innocent women, children and even babies were to experience. How apt that your beautiful work should be made on a handkerchief, used to dry tears

  • Never cease to amaze

  • There is always a beautiful positive from a negative. You have just created that

  • Such power in a piece of cloth

  • Your work is so important in keeping this knowledge active to a wider audience

  • Amazing and beautiful