Bearer of Memory

Description

Artist Notes

The Bearer of Memory is a sculptural portrait that explores the emotional weight carried by those who have survived war, displacement, and loss. The figure's worn facial expression reflects resilience shaped by suffering, while the abstract form supporting the head symbolizes memories that can neither be abandoned nor forgotten. Rather than depicting a single individual, the sculpture represents countless people who continue to carry their past with them, preserving identity and dignity despite destruction. It is a tribute to human endurance and the invisible burden of memory.

Preservation Notes

STATUS Physical work destroyed, no longer extant. Recorded 2026-09-18 on the instruction of Sky, PAPA: the artist's studio and home were destroyed in Israeli airstrikes and no physical work in this collection is known to survive. This record documents a work that no longer exists. SURVIVING RECORD One primary image at 589 x 589 px, 57 KB JPEG, plus two additional views in the gallery field. The primary capture is low resolution and below what is wanted for a work that no longer exists. The two gallery views are the mitigating factor here and should be assessed alongside it. DIGITAL PRESERVATION Priority case. Obtain the artist's original camera files before anything else, since the current primary capture will not support detailed study of a three-dimensional object. Store uncompressed masters, record checksums, and hold copies outside the Content Lake. Do not re-crop, re-compress, or color-correct the existing files. MATERIAL RECORD Plaster (gypsum) with acrylic paint, 30 x 30 cm. The artist's notes record that the work was cast and finished by hand with a metallic gold patina, and that it forms part of an ongoing series on memory, identity, and displacement. OUTSTANDING 1. Original camera files. Highest priority in this collection alongside Hanging Dreams and The Head of a Horse. 2. Whether a mold survives, which would bear on whether the cast could be reproduced. 3. The other works in the series the artist's notes refer to, and whether they are catalogued here.

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