KUMZITS: “64.000 Stones” – R. Stein Wexler

01.01.1970 - 11:00 - 19:00 / ul. Izaaka (Izaak Synagogue), ul. św. Wawrzyńca 3, courtyard between Józefa 12 and Meiselsa 19

The echo of Jewish life and past trauma is present everywhere in Krakow, as is the spectacle of commodification. Tourists are offered souvenirs, I offer you stones. Laying small stones on top of graves is a common Jewish tradition. As you walk through this city, lay them to rest. 

Duration: ongoing 

Locations: ul. Izaaka (Izaak Synagogue), courtyard between Józefa 12 and Meiselsa 19 streets, ul. Wawrzyńca 3 

 Stein Wexleris a queer Jewish artist and city planner, and a dual citizen of the United States and Germany. Wexler’s work takes place in public urban spaces where she designs and curates artwork that asserts the existence of silenced identities. She is currently investigating Germany’s “Willkommenskultur”, and how that value does (or does not) play out during the bureaucratic immigration process. She is also working on a project uncovering the layers of history beneath Berlin’s Haus derStatistik, in a former model Soviet neighbourhood soon to be recognized as a UNESCO heritage site, but also where a Jewish senior living facility once stood. Previously, Wexler curated public art interventions in downtown Durham, North Carolina USA where she developed the neighbourhood’s first public art programme, and helped shape the city’s public art policy on the City of Durham’s Cultural Advisory Board. Stein is also a studio artist and makes work on paper and with metal. 

Stein’s Master’s degree in City and Regional Planning, with a focus on economic development through art, is from UNC Chapel Hill where she was a Parker Fellow and wrote an award-winning master’s project. She received honours in her Bachelor’s from UC Berkeley in English Literature. Born and raised in California, she currently lives in Berlin where she is an Alexander von Humboldt Foundation fellow hosted by Berlin’s Zentrum für Kunst und Urbanistik. 

Kumzits 

Come and sit, Przyjdź i usiądź, בוא/י שב/י.  

We miss being able to get together, so we created “Kumzits”, which means campfire in Hebrew. A group of us from Jerusalem, Berlin and Krakow developed eight art projects in public space. They are our proverbial campfire. Although most of us could not make it here in person, we are all around Kazimierz. Come and share a moment with us. 

 

For more information: https://www.jewishfestival.pl/en/kumzits-2/

This project is supported by the Foundation for Polish – German Cooperation, Goethe Institut and The City of Jerusalem.