7
The nearly fifty artworks in Prussian Blue are rendered almost exclusively in that color, one of the earliest artificially developed pigments used by European artists. The chemical compound that produces this blue pigment is chemically related to the prussic acid found in Zyklon B, the lethal agent used in some German Nazi concentration and extermination camps. By an unforeseen turn, conspicuous traces of the blue pigment have remained in some of the extant gas chambers.
“It's an incredible privilege and honor to stand here at the Auschwitz Memorial. This being the first time a contemporary artist does such a large-scale exhibition within the structures that this site memorializes. The series was produced between 2010 and 2017 with the idea of being shown in contemporary art museums. For me, I always wanted to bring this exhibition to Europe from the outset. And it proved to be an incredible, difficult challenge because of the subject, I think. It turns out now that the series of paintings comes to Europe for the first time to the Auschwitz Memorial. For me, the event is really one of the most significant, important moments of my life,” said Yishai Jusidman.
“It was not easy to come to Europe with your art coming from Central America. However, the starting point of this art was exactly here. It was this history that went first to Central America, and now the feedback is coming back here. That's why I think it's extremely important. I will not speak about this art, as the art must speak for itself and, as one will see, I think it does speak,” said dr Piotr M. A. Cywiński, the director of the Museum.
“And this is art that not only speaks about Auschwitz, but also about several different sites. It's going through the entire European experience of that time and even it transgresses the borders of the Shoah because it's talking about some other concentration camps and not only other extermination centers like Treblinka, Sobibór or Bełżec,” added Piotr Cywiński.
“Zyklon B leaves traces on many of the infrastructure elements where it has been applied: in gas chambers, but also in other spaces. Very recently, the Auschwitz Memorial preservation team has finished preserving the bathhouse at the former Auschwitz II-Birkenau camp, where Zyklon B was also used as a disinfectant. You can still see the traces today. The title of the exhibition and this chemical effect are very strongly connected. I am very glad that we managed to connect the end of this project with the preservation of the bathhouse. I am confident it is a very important first step in working with art by the Memorial and through the Memorial. Thank you, Yishai, for your trust and to