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Gabrielle
Rossmer
Ancestral Memory
1999
Acrylic resin, gypsum, Fiberglas, cloth
Fir, Spruce, and Pine Grove
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Artist's
Statement
This piece is a meditation on those we've lost, as experienced in the
remnants of our memories. The garment-like form that is the basis of the
piece could be a portrait of an individual. But outer layers of cloth
obscure all recognizable detail. The figure loses specificity and becomes
universal, as personal memory blurs into collective history. The earth-toned
color connects the apparition to the ground; the effects of time and weather
make it ethereal. It is sequestered in the woods, suspended between heaven
and earth.
For the past decade I have been developing multi-media work about my family's
history in Germany during the Holocaust. I emigrated with my parents when
I was one year old, leaving behind grandparents and other relatives. Trying
to come to grips with a loss that knows no generational bounds, I have
been deeply concerned with memory and history.
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