SCHOELLER, Martin - Survivors. Faces of Life after the Holocaust

"'Survivors. Faces of Life after the Holocaust' shows frontal, haunting portraits of 75 Holocaust survivors in Israel. These pictures were taken by Martin SCHOELLER in collaboration with the 'World Holocaust Remembrance Center Yad Vashem' with a view to the 75th anniversary the liberation of Auschwitz on January 27, 2020.

These overwhelming images capture life-drawn faces of Jewish women and men who have seen, endured and survived the atrocities of the Shoah. They convey an idea of ​​the struggle for survival and of the extraordinary physical and mental toughness of these people.

Taken up close, each of these portraits by Martin SCHOELLER tells us a story that is both individual and collective. These eyes look at us, their eyes hold ours, the wrinkles of these faces testify to the suffering, but also the triumph of surviving and building a new life.

'Survivors. Faces of Life after the Holocaust 'gives victims of the Shoah a face - those who have survived, as well as many others who have not survived, and allows us as viewers to be very close to these people.

Martin SCHOELLER's photographs are an attempt to preserve the incomprehensible for future generations. "(Verlagstext, © Steidl Verlag, 2020)

Exhibition:

January 22 to April 26, 2020 in the UNESCO World Heritage Zollverein, Essen