in part of the exhibition

Resident Memory, Synagogue Liben, 'Na Palmovce', Prague, Czech Republic, 1996

Catalogue by Martina Pachmanova

Women: Keepers of the Light is site responsive installation in an abandoned and desacralised synagogue in Prague. The artist addresses the buildings ‘her’stories : once a congregation with reserved seating for women banished to the upstairs gallery and its ‘his’tory of the spaces repurposing by the nazi and thereafter communist regimes.

Revealing untold stories of women through the exploration of the matrilineal Jewish tradition, Nadine photographs Jewish women lighting Shabbat candles, symbolising an intimate and private ritual where females hold power over time.

The installation consists of thirteen triptychs comprising black and white negative Duratrans (transparent images on polyester) placed in the niches on the ground floor windows of the synagogue. Each triptych features a central image of a woman lighting a candle, framed by two white panels etched with female first names, creating a continuous white line around the space.

Lunia Aviva Elisha Adi Hadassas Saskia Rebecca Rokhl Blume Naomi Chana Rivkele Berthe Rochelle Alicia Manya Brendyla Renata Maxine Barbara Yael Golda Katia Miriam Zelda Khankhe Fradel Sharon Shoshannah Cheryl Rosa Lucie Johannah Toby Elise Yankele Marsha Sigalit Dafna Alice Ida Ann Edgia Faigie Guisela Celia Freida Sarah Malka Rachel Esther Carla Milena Davida Andrea Laura Olga Eva Reesa Gilda Marla Deborah Moira Yehudit Adi Bayla Leah Devorah Anna Lili Hindyla Ydessa Daganit Sorel Lara Veronica Nira Jana Vera Sylvia Tasha Ruzina Ruth Rikudah

From the outside, the installation appears as a symbolic white ribbon. As the sun moves around the building, the etched text (reversed and inverted) becomes legible with its shadows projected onto the synagogues interior floor, revealing each woman’s name for a brief moment.

This artwork breaks the taboos that have long hindered the empowerment of women by exploring the tension between the prohibition of using images and the emancipation of women in the Jewish tradition. By giving women a public presence, the installation invites reflection on the roles assigned to them and recognises their contribution to ‘her’story by granting them visible presence.

Components
- 39 black and white photo dura-transparencies spanning !3 triptychs
Dimensions :
- one duratrans rectangle approx : 32.5 cm x 44 cm
- 1 triptych (3 duratrans spanning 3 window panes respectively) : 105 cm x 44 cm
- 13 triptychs : every window niche frame at eye level spanning the circumference of the synagogue