Echoportraits - Genealogy

This installation of 39 small paintings of 30x30 cm is the work.

During the 2020 pandemic, while I was overjoyed to see a little girl continue our family line, all the measures in place that restricted our freedom of movement deeply affected me. Coming from a family marked by the tragedy of immigration since the beginning of the 20th century, I can only observe its dispersal to the four corners of the earth. I questioned the legacy my ancestors passed on to my descendants, what remains of our family culture when each of us embraces the culture that welcomed us.

So I chose to build a family tree on my mother's side—the side whose impact of immigration I know—which I want to be both visual and textual. For each member, I write an echo-praise—a self-praise resonating with that person—the inspiration for which will trigger an echo-portrait—a portrait reflecting my feelings—in my abstract expressionist style.

It is through this family tree, my family legend, that I bear witness. Each member of my family will thus be honored by a phrase that has proven to be the most evocative, in French, English, Russian, and Hungarian, in homage to our origins.

To happily conclude these past few years of work, a grandson, J., has joined our family line. This collection is therefore dedicated to him and to his older sister, M., who is now three years old.

I am publicly presenting this project as a true tribute to our ancestors who paved the way for us to live with dignity, driven by an unwavering desire to stand tall with pride. I hope my ode will find the universal resonance I envision for it.

Veronica

June 2024

* Self-praise: an age-old, universal and poetic practice, originating from many cultures, respects three fundamental guidelines: write in "I", in an authentic way and by amplifying the subject beyond the dimensions of everyday life.