The artist tried to photograph the former Auschwitz camp in such a way that the viewer embarks on a journey into the mysteries of Auschwitz, a bridge between “today” and “then,” and between “here” and “there.” He touched the transcendent, yet consciously respected the limits of empathy in the drama of people for whom the experience of Auschwitz was unmediated. Blume’s photographs tell stories; they are novels.
The opportunity to reflect on the topic “empathy in Auschwitz” was the opening of the exhibition, which took place as part of the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the death of Edith Stein in Auschwitz II-Birkenau. The starting point was a lecture by Jadwiga Guerrero van Meijden from the Jagiellonian University in Cracow entitled: 'Edyta Stein on the Issue of Empathy'. Prof. Hanna Ulatowska of the University of Dallas, USA, who as an 11-year-old child was a prisoner of Auschwitz II-Birkenau, participated in the discussions on the topic of empathy in Auschwitz.
In her speech, Prof. Ulatowska made references to the memories of Martin Blume and reflections on the meaning of empathy in the realities of the camp. She also presented the results of research on the trauma of former prisoners, and issues of long-term traces of the Auschwitz experience. These were discussions in the context of various kinds of empathy.
The professor’s acquaintance with the author of the exhibition was associated with the common mission to commemorate the victims, which was established during phone conversations. It was these telephone “meetings” that engendered empathy. He - a representative of a field of knowledge, the so-called photo-psychology, she representing neurolinguistics and neuropsychology - worked around