Hedy has ‘unpacked’ her late husband Henry’s life through the display of these everyday things – some might call them ‘ready-mades’ or items that represent key life cycle stages, from childhood through to adulthood.The objects on display reflect some of the key moments in Henry’s life, such as his university years studying dentistry, his swimming triumphs representing Melbourne High at school competitions, Victoria at State championships and Australia at the Maccabi Games in Israel where he beat Mark Spitz, who went on to win Olympic medals, as well as his experiences of fatherhood. By placing these objects in a spiral on the floor, Hedy paves a path for audiences to walk through, enabling visitors to take a physical trip down his, and their personal memory lane.
This particular installation has once previously been displayed to a very limited audience. Viewers to the first iteration of this exhibition were visibly moved by the tensions between the private and the public; the intimate and the monumental; the spiritual and the material.
Whilst the fundamental core of the exhibition remains the same, this next iteration has morphed into a different format and includes a number of brand new elements. It is informed by a shared desire to make the more complex themes explored within the artists work, accessible to wider audiences. The result takes the work beyond the very personal. It moves beyond the focus of Hedy’s own grieving experience, or Henry’s journey towards his fate and ultimate death, to allow audiences to explore this shared human experience of rituals in life and death and the Jewish themes surrounding both.
Curator, Ariele Hoffman said 'Hedy’s intimate work is a great benefit to the community as it opens up conversation around the Jewish death and mourning process. Hedy has created a beautiful space to consider the ways we commemorate the life of a loved one. Her intimate installation also inspires visitors to consider what is precious amongst their own material possessions and the sacredness to be found in all forms of commemoration rituals.'
The Jewish Museum is committed to presenting socially relevant contemporary art shows alongside historical exhibitions, as part of its exhibition program. In recent years the Museum has presented contemporary art shows including the 61st Blake Prize: exploring the Religious and Spiritual in Art and Andy Warhol's Jewish Geniuses. Hedy Ritterman’s object-based installation highlights how museums are the perfect platform for contemporary art.
Jewish Museum Director & CEO, Rebecca Forgasz said 'We believe that it is an important part of our role as an institution to nurture the artistic exploration and expression of issues around Jewish identity, ritual and spirituality. Hedy’s installation is intensely personal, but also reflects on themes common to the lives and experiences of many Jewish people of her generation. It also has particular relevance in a museum setting, as it highlights the significance of objects as not only artefacts of a specific time and place, but repositories of personal and communal memory and meaning.'
