The Jews from Recife Remembered in New York
New York artist Susan Dessel recently exhibited her latest work, “Still Lives” at the Culpeper Gallery in New York´s Lower East Side.
The exhibition, inspired by the first Jewish women who arrived there as refugees beginning in the 1650’s (in what was then New Amsterdam), followed research at the oldest cemetery in New York (the Chatham Square Cemetery). Amongst those first Jewish women were a number from Recife, who fled at the end of Dutch rule, after the return of the Portuguese in 1654.
The exhibition, which we hope to bring to Recife in 2010, is introduced by the artist in the following video:
In an earlier post we introduced The History of the Jews in Pernambuco, and Pearl Travel Guides is currently developing the Official Jewish Tours in association with the Jewish Archive in Recife. Please email for further tour details: contact@recife.pearltravelguides.com
The Jews, a great nation, with a long and serious history.
This sounds like a great exhibtion, have you actually seen it?
Unforunately I didn´t get to see it in New York, but I agree it seems a great concept based on the conversations I have been having with the artist for several months, and the youtube clip. I hope to see if we are able to bring it to Recife in 2010 and show it at the the oldest Synagogue of the Americas from where some of the women came. I am in conversation with them about this. Perhaps a good excuse for you to visit Brazil? Soon we will also be doing the Official Jewish Tours to tell the whole history of the Jews in Brazil.
I would like to see this exhibition.
My thanks to Paul for the enthusiasm and support he has shown for the “still lives” show. It was well received in New York and hopefully it will also be shown in other parts of the U.S. And to be able to show the work in Recife would be an incredible way to honor the women whose lives are remembered through the work in the show.
Well I think there are many great reasons to visit Brazil but I am really interested in seeing this first hand so yes I look forward to hearing more on that!