Caren Garfen
MORAL COMPASS, 2024
Cotton, silk threads, 42 compasses. Hand stitch 65cm x 45cm x 6cm
‘Moral Compass’ addresses the unprecedented resurgence of antisemitism since the Holocaust, focusing on attacks against Jewish people in public spaces, places of worship, workplaces, on holiday, and through social media. The piece highlights incidents occurring globally today. It questions whether society has lost its moral compass where respect for individual identity and heritage coexists with the normalisation of antisemitism.
Caren Garfen
WOUND, 2024
Cotton, silk threads, 63 vintage cotton spools, pebbles. Hand stitch 94cm x 65cm x 12cm
Wound consists of sixty-one spools of thread that once belonged to my late mother. These threads intertwine with the tragic narratives of sixty seamstresses who had links to Piotrkow Trybunalski in Poland, the birthplace of my maternal grandmother. Moving to England as a child circa 1912, my grandmother left behind relatives, many of whom perished in the Holocaust. Among them was her cousin, listed as a housewife, who undoubtedly would have sewn in her domestic sphere.
Caren Garfen
BEST FRIENDS, 2024
Cotton, silk threads, beads. Hand stitch 34cm x 24cm x 1.5cm
Best Friends is based on a true conversation that unfolded post-7 October 2023, when Hamas terrorists murdered over 1,200 innocent people in Israel. In the aftermath, a Jewish friend sought solace from her Muslim counterpart, with whom she shared a bond of nearly two decades. However, the response she received shattered her, leaving her grappling with profound disillusionment, and questioning the very foundation of trust, especially in her closest confidante.
Caren Garfen
VIRUS, 2023
Textile, green silk thread, cotton binding. Hand stitch 20cm x 18cm x 4cm
At first glance, Virus might seem closely tied to the 21st century, primarily evoking thoughts of Covid-19 and the pandemic. However, upon closer examination, one discovers a poignant narrative intricately hand stitched with green silk threads onto cloth, featuring the names and brief histories of individuals in the medical profession, including doctors, nurses, chemists, and even dentists, hailing from diverse countries. These individuals were tragically taken from us, their lives cut short through acts of murder or, in some heart-wrenching instances, by their own hands during the Holocaust. Contemplating their potential, one can't help but wonder about the transformative impact they might have had on the world. How many lives could they have touched and saved? What extraordinary achievements could they have realised in their own journeys?
Caren Garfen
NEXT YEAR IN JERUSALEM, 2023
100 small vintage wine glasses, textile, silk threads, Israeli red wine. Hand stitch 80cm x 80cm x 15cm
This artwork has been created to represent a family Passover Seder, a ritual meal to retell the story of the Israelites’ exodus from slavery in ancient Egypt. Four cups of wine are imbibed at specific times during the evening. Ten drops of wine are spilled to symbolise The Ten Plagues. At the end of the meal the words ‘Next Year in Jerusalem’ are spoken. Research was carried out to reveal how many innocent men, women and children have been killed in terror attacks in Jerusalem in the 21st century. The wine becomes a symbol of blood that has been spilled over many, many years.
Caren Garfen
REMEMBER, 2023
Vintage cotton handkerchief made in Germany, silk threads. Hand stitch 28cm x 28cm x 4cm
The names of 130 Jewish females, ranging from 5 months to 81 years of age, were selected by the artist because their forenames began with the letter ‘J’. There is one exception, Fortuna Capelouto, who was ruthlessly murdered alongside her twin sister Juliette, at the tender age of five. These names have been carefully hand-sewn onto a vintage cotton handkerchief originating from Germany. These people hailed from all over Europe. Each of these innocent souls fell victim of the merciless cruelty of the Nazis and their collaborators, who spared no one, regardless of age or circumstance. Pregnant women, mothers with small children and the elderly alike were all condemned to their deaths upon arrival at concentration and extermination camps.
Caren Garfen
Selection II, 2022
Cotton, silk threads, 75 vintage ophthalmic lenses, 75 miniature picture frames, photographs. Hand stitch 70cm x 62cm x 1cm
Selection II focuses on the innocent people who were murdered during the Holocaust because they were Jewish. The work is an avowal of remembrance, but also a reminder that antisemitism did not cease when World War II ended.
Caren Garfen
FRAGMENTS, 2021
Vintage atlas, textile, silk threads, fabric from donated kuppels. Hand stitch 56cm x 38cm x 7cm
Fragments examines the fashion and textile industry in Berlin in the 1930s, and the impact of Nazi policies of that period on Jewish clothing manufacturers, designers, design houses and fashion stores.
Caren Garfen
THE TASTE OF THINGS TO COME, 2021
Antique porcelain cup & saucer, vintage ashtray, spoon, postcard, fountain pen, coins (all origin Germany), vintage serving tray from Russia, textile, silk threads. Hand stitch 51cm x 41cm x 6cm
20 March 1935, Berlin, Germany
Caren Garfen
STAR WITNESS, 2020
Textile, silk thread, fabric dye, printing ink, printing block. 600 stars. Hand stitch and hand printing 4m x 2m
Star Witness has been created to highlight the rise in 21st century global antisemitism. In-depth research has been carried out on the politics of Europe in the 1930s, the rise of Nazism, the Holocaust, and contemporary antisemitism.
