Baggage
1959 (Rahz and Ziv’s Baggage) is a totemic stack of cardboard suitcases, each referencing a different generation’s experience of displacement. The installation rests on flooring made of cardboard and includes portraits and paintings constructed from cardboard and papier-mâché, extending the language of the material into a collective space of memory and migration.
The work reflects transitions within my own family history and that of my husband, acknowledging how the trauma of forced relocation experienced by our Jewish ancestors continues to echo across generations. The title 1959 (Rahz and Ziv’s Baggage) refers to the year real estate restrictions on Jews were lifted in South Florida, and raises questions about how diasporic identity, inherited memory, and belonging will shape the lives of our sons.