Slonim, 1941

Tszwai So was working on a restoration project in Belarus. The idea is to restore a derelict 17th century synagogue in Slonim, once a vibrant Jewish town. Between 1941 and 1942, a series of massacres took place annihilating almost the entire Jewish population of 22,000. Children were murdered manually because the Nazi troops did not want to waste their bullets. So visited the site twice first in 2017, then in 2018.

This, then, was the context in which this artwork was created. Using charcoal as the medium, So aimed to create the appearance of an old photograph inspired by his experience in Slonim and the heirlooms he saw in a private archive of a family rooted in Slonim. The family has since named the drawing Slonim, 1941.

Slonim, 1941 (charcoal on paper, 1346 x 1046mm)
Yad Vashem Holocaust Art Collection, Jerusalem, Israel