Join Chilean Jewish poet Marjorie AgosÃn and Chilean Jewish photographer Samuel Shats for refreshments and the multimedia exhibit, Braided Memories, in which they strive to create unity by joining the experiences of immigrants, whether they arrived last century or last year. Additionally, On the Threshold of Oblivion: Portraits of Holocaust Survivors in Chile, a collection of photographs by Samuel Shats will be displayed on the library’s second floor.
Artistic collaborations uniting Latin Americans and European refugees are rare, despite the immense number of displaced people from World War II who migrated to and remain in Latin America. The artists hope that artistic representation and discussion of immigration and the realities of diasporas will bring perspective, dialogue, and hopeful imaginings to other migrants in Latin America and globally. They envision that this collection of photographs and poems will expose people to the abandonment, hopelessness, persecution, and injustices felt by Helena Broder, AgosÃn's great-grandmother, along with her nostalgia and gratitude upon being accepted into a new community in Chile. Braided Memories mirrors the hopes and sorrows of the globe’s migrants in their search for new homes and changing visions of the future. As word and image strengthen each other in striking and inimitable ways, this unique, multimedia experience captures the nuance and intensity of today’s most pressing humanitarian crisis and will make an impact through its expressions of resilience and celebration of unity.
This event is in collaboration between the Department of Modern Languages & Literatures and Kelvin Smith Library. Photographs by Samuel Shats.
See additional engagements with the artists .