24 x 30 in.
(German: ‘Pokorny Lives’)
Spray paint, fabric, string, yarn, aluminum form wire, safety pins, and a toy sewing machine on canvas.
“My great grandparents, Walter and Mimy Pokorny, only narrowly escaped Hitler’s rise to power in 1933 when they come to New York in 1929, though violent antisemitism was already alive and well in Europe. They were Jews from Hannover, Germany and arrived at Ellis Island on the U.S.S. Washington. Walter was a harness-maker and the Pokorny name was known for fabrics and textile production. At the time, Bratislava played host to a high-end textile firm called ‘Pokorny.’ Jewish artisans in pre-war Europe established their prominence in the upholstery and fabric industries, even later being forced to sew and tailor custom dresses for the mistresses and wives of Nazi officers. This piece is dedicated to their memory and in observance of Yam HaShaoh.”
-Quinten “Q” Avila
*To learn more, read ‘The Dressmakers of Auschwitz’ by Lucy Adlington*
