Emmanuel Bornstein / Lotte Laserstein - Pensée

How do artists identities and the histories of their families influence their art? Where might a creative affinity sustained by a legacy of trauma take an artist? Lotte Laserstein (1898-1993) and Emmanuel Bornstein (b. 1986) are connected by such a bond, tied by Bornsteins grandmother, a Résistance fighter and, like Lotte Laserstein, a Jew who survived the Nazis. Bornstein discovered Lasersteins works by coincidence and without knowing of this connection, and he was fascinated right away: It was actually what Id been trying to make for years! There are in fact parallels between their oeuvresboth feature people who are waiting and flower bouquets, and a melancholy aspect and a subtle menace can be felt in both. Yet there are also discrepancies, and the dialogue between their works would be far less inspiring without them: Bornsteins omnipresent toxic cadmium, which contrasts with Lasersteins muted tones; the paint application; the brushwork. What the artists have in common, in any case, is that Sweden became their abode in times of danger and painting, their only true home. This catalog celebrates their creative homecoming.