Lidia Rozanski, Argentina/Israel

Artist Statement

Parshat Mishpatim

In parashat Mishpatim we find the laws that regulate and organize the relationship between men, between men and women, land and God. My interpretation points to the complex search of justice through the laws and to the labyrinth of its interpretations; full of ambivalence and confusions. For example "eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth…" taken literally would lead us to a world full of blind and toothless people, but taken metaphorically we understand it as a law of compensation and equivalences. Nevertheless, is the eye of a painter valued equally to the eye of housewife?

The law and its endless interpretations and applications is a necessary part of civil society. I decided to us the symbol of the spider web to represent the infinite possibility for interpreting the law. I chose to work with etching and embroidery. Etching, because all expression is etérea (etched) in the memory if it is not printed. And the embroidery is included in the images because the threads unite, join, intertwine and they can symbolize both expansion and entanglement. With every stitch I dream to recover the time, break the routine. The feminine tradition of weaving and embroidery not only indicate obediance with the duties imposed by the patterns of gender, but try to transcend it within its limits, where women can do what they want even while fulfilling their obligation. It can be said that the feminine presence resides between the threads. The tradition of embroidery becomes a memorial pray for each culture, each community, each myth. The idea is to recover creativity locked up for centuries in the domestic sphere and to dissolve the boundaries between art and practical activities.

Bio

Lidia Rozanski was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in December 1955. She graduated with a degree in architecture from the University of Buenos Aires and studied painting and etching with Mirta Kupferminc, Felipe Noe, Juan Doffo and Eduardo Medicci at The National School of Fine Arts. Lidia has also studied design, glass, paper making and ceramics. She made aliya with her family in 2001. Shortly after her arrival, she studied photographic engraving with printmaker, Dan Kriger. Currently, she teaches in her own Rana’ana workshop where she focuses on helping seniors discover and develop their creativity. www.lidiarozanski.com

Reflections on Being a Jewish Woman Artist

I was born to a Jewish family in Argentina and by choice and vocation I am dedicated to the arts. I believe that this combination has given me a unique vision and sensibility as well as a constant questioning about the order of the universe and human relationships. As an artist, I believe in the commitment to give testimony. I make art and encourage others to as well, that speaks against discrimination, exploitation and injustice. I try to express my vision of reality — a vision based on my own feminine sensibilities and my understanding that throughout history women created strategies for living to preserve their dignity as human beings by offering a perspective on issues of femininity, food, friendship, faith, motherhood, love, creativity, solidarity, everyday life.