THROUGH THE LENS
OF FAITH
Paweł Sawicki
It consists of 21 portraits of Auschwitz survivors: Jews, Poles and the Roma. The author of the photographs is Caryl Englander. The photographs are accompanied by fragments of accounts by the survivors related to the subject of faith in the tragic world of the German Nazi Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp. The artist showed the people at homes and in their private surroundings. Several of those portrayed, look directly into the lens – often revealing the camp number tattooed on the forearm.
'The unique exhibition speaks of the humanity of the victims. After all, Auschwitz was not only a place of physical destruction of people. It was also a place of mental and spiritual destruction for many prisoners. Until now, this perspective has never been addressed by an exhibition at the Memorial. I want to thank everyone who contributed to its creation,' said Dr. Piotr M. A. Cywiński, director of the Museum, during the opening ceremony.
'The exhibition is presented at a unique moment, due to the commemorated anniversaries. We are approaching the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. However, we are now in the period of the 75th anniversary of the most devastating time in the history of the camp – the period of deportation of Jews from Hungary; deportation from the liquidated Litzmannstadt ghetto; deportation of civilians from Warsaw during the Uprising; and many other places in Europe, still occupied by Germany. I hope that our visitors will closely observe these photographs, look into the eyes of the survivors and understand their words," said Director Cywiński.
The curator of the exhibition is Dr. Henri Lustiger Thaler. 'Through the Lens of Faith is a testament to the resiliency of the human spirit. Survivors imprisoned in Auschwitz-Birkenau drew on their most profound beliefs systems in the cruelest place on earth. Daniel Libeskind’s design captures the past, present and future of survivor experiences and memories in conversation with Caryl Englander’s moving portraits" said Henri Lustiger Thaler.
The design of the exhibition space was prepared by Daniel Libeskind and Studio Libeskind. He designed a path with three metres of vertical steel panels on both sides. They are arranged in a pattern resembling striped camp uniforms, evoking associations with imprisonment, while their exterior mirror surfaces reflect the surrounding landscape. 'This exhibition brings the stories of the survivors into focus, while weaving their intimate accounts into the context of the camp and contemporary life. We can’t understand the millions that were murdered in the Holocaust, but we can understand one person’s story" said Daniel Libeskind.
The exhibition "Through the Lens of Faith - Przez pryzmat wiary", prepared by the Amud Aish Memorial Museum in New York and designed by Daniel Libeskind, was opened on July 1, in front of the main entrance to the Auschwitz Museum.
All images in the article, Auschwitz Memorial, photo: Marek Lach