In the summer of 2024 during Venice Biennale I had a privilege to participate in a residency located in the heart of Venice’s Jewish Ghetto, the first ghetto ever created. I spent three weeks there and got to know the place, its history, and the people who live there.

The ghetto was created in 1516 and the area was selected because it was the only place that could have guarded gates on both sides. They were locked at night so that Jews would not be able to leave the ghetto and mingle with others. The rules were placed at the entrance of the ghetto. Jews could not buy property or build new houses and had to cram inside the small spaces, often sharing apartments with one entire family per room. The rent they had to pay was three times higher than for everyone else. Jews were allowed to have three jobs only to practice occupation. They could resell clothes, lend money — since the Church considered it unpure to lend money at interest —and work as doctors. The three banks were created in ghetto, one of them Banco Rosso.

I wanted to paint the people who live there now and the remnants of the old ghetto. All works are ink and acrylic on paper, 11”x14”. The project is ongoing and will be updated over the summer.

While at the residency I also created small paintings on canvas inspired by Christian iconography I was surrounded by.

This project is supported in part by Venezia Contemporanea and Faculty Development Award, College of Fine Art, University of Texas at Austin