Zitkamer 1935

Elsa Silberstein's photograph, "Zitkamer," is a window into a world of intricate forms, captured in a small frame. I imagine Silberstein carefully arranging these delicate, ornate metal cutouts on a neutral surface, playing with light and shadow. The shapes themselves—geometric, floral, and almost architectural—invite touch, like tactile puzzles waiting to be solved. Maybe she picked them up one by one, considering the surface. I think of artists like Sophie Taeuber-Arp, who also explored the relationship between geometric abstraction and craft, using found materials to make abstract forms. Like Taeuber-Arp, Silberstein's work seems to be part of a dialogue about the nature of beauty and the potential for transformation. Artists of different stripes are always in conversation with each other, responding to and building upon the ideas of those who came before, and I see Silberstein as part of that ongoing exchange.