Inmates, Auschwitz 1945 1987

Editor: This is Murray Zimiles' "Inmates, Auschwitz 1945," a somber black and white print. The figures seem emaciated, the lines raw and full of despair. What strikes you most about this piece? Curator: I'm drawn to the starkness of the medium – the printmaking itself. The artist's choice to use this process, with its inherent reproducibility, speaks to the systematic nature of the atrocity. How does the materiality of the printmaking process influence your understanding? Editor: It highlights the mass production of suffering, making it almost industrial. I never thought of it that way. Curator: Exactly. The artist's labor mirrors the inmates' dehumanization. It forces us to confront the uncomfortable question of how these horrors were manufactured. Editor: It gives me a lot to think about; thank you. Curator: Of course! It’s a chilling but important work.