JANUARY: Justice
‘Isabella’
Solvent Transfer on Watercolor Paper, 2017
By Linda Smith
Curator’s Note
by Gal Cohen
‘Isabella’ is a mixed-media work showcasing a 1911 imigran enom saka Italia menyang AS. Iku bagéan saka seri "Sojourners,” ing ngendi Smith ngapusi foto arsip anggota kulawarga sing pindhah saka Italia menyang AS kanggo nyuarakke kompleksitas lintas generasi sing diwarisake menyang proses Imigrasi.. Pandangan angker ing raine Isabella lan bayangan memedi saka gambar dheweke ngandhani konflik sing wis bosok lan memori kolektif babagan gerakan migrasi lan imigrasi - kerentanan lan pamindahan., bebarengan karo reinvention urip dhewe, ditempelake karo pangarep-arep kanggo luwih aman, mangsa luwih padhang. Pitakonan saka kaadilan, Podo, lan hak asasi manungsa minangka kunci kanggo proses migrasi lan imigrasi ing saindenging jagad, minangka sawetara saka sudhut migran dening-pilihan, through refugees and asylum seekers reveal the built-in inequality in contemporary societies, especially amidst the current global refugee crisis.
About the Artist
Linda Smith is an artist and art educator, who started a non-profit organization while living in Kigali, Rwanda, called the TEOH Project, which provides cameras and art classes to children in Rwanda, Ghana, and the Bronx. She has been commissioned by the United Nations to provide photography classes to survivors and former perpetrators of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. She earned her BA from Syracuse University, MA in Communications at Goldsmith College at the University of London, and MFA from the University of Connecticut. Her work has been exhibited in the United Nations, embassies, and universities.
Justice
Dening Rabi Ari Perten, Norman E. Alexander Direktur Urip Yahudi
Justice is at the center of the American myth. The average school day begins with a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in which students declare the US to be one nation… “with liberty and keadilan for all.” Though this mantra is so regularly repeated, our lived experience often indicates that keadilan is, perhaps, not always the reality which we experience, but rather a dream towards which we aspire.
The classic image of keadilan (based on the Roman goddess of Justice, Iustitia) is a blindfolded woman with a set of scales in one hand and a sword in the other. This representation plays on the concept of sight asserting that keadilan needs to be impartially applied without regard to wealth, power, or any other status. In the Midrash Tanhuma (Shoftim 8:1), we are reminded, “When the judge sets his heart on a bribe, he becomes blind to justice and is unable to judge [a case] honestly.” Justice must be directed without the imposition of external factors. When sight is allowed, it clouds judgement, distancing keadilan from its appropriate application.
Interestingly, in the book of Deuteronomy (22:1-3) there is an explanation as to the application of keadilan in the return of lost property that also utilizes the image of sight. The final verse insists, “and so too shall you do with anything that your fellow loses and you find: you may not hide yourself.” The medieval French commentator, Rashi, remarks on this final injunction, “You must not cover your eyes, pretending not to see it.” Here, playing on this same theme of sight, Rashi insists that keadilan can only occur when we actively pursue sight, removing any blindfolds that might limit the ability to see.
As our country continues to struggle with the concept of keadilan, we must each ask, what is my understanding of keadilan?
