Sylvia Horwitz Photography | |
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From the time I started working seriously as an artist, by using the camera in a deliberate way,
I have been drawn to recurring questions: How are people able to survive irrevocable loss and
find meaning and purpose in their lives? What choices do they have? How would we react? Would
we move ahead or stay in place and become identified as our loss? |
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This theme first emerged as I worked on projects in Israel and here in the United States at Native American pow-wows where ancestors are honored and strength is gathered. In Jerusalem I photographed and exhibited images from the Jewish and Muslim Quarters of the Old City. My emphasis was on the rituals of daily life that formed the basis for purposeful life and work, and transcended tragic historic events which had abruptly interrupted and permanently changed the lives of so many. |
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Several years later, I went with friends to Buenos Aires to experience Argentine Tango: the dance, the music, and the culture with its underpinnings in the conditions of the working class. As a photographer, I found the dance halls, the tango, and the imagery of the underground train system to be a rich source of material and metaphoric connections. I soon realized that this work was really a continuation of themes surrounding loss and grief that I had started to explore in Israel. |
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In Argentina’s capitol city, I encountered the group of activist women in 2005 who have been part of weekly protest marches on Plaza de Mayo for 30 years. They are the mothers of children who were made to disappear during the military dictatorship (1976-83). I was deeply moved and inspired by the Madres and wanted to make a visual record of what I was experiencing. |
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| My subsequent involvement with these women and understanding of the magnitude of what had happened during the junta resulted in a three-year project. This work is presented first in the exhibition section of my website. | |
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This site was last updated on May 2, 2010 |
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