The SA Jewish Museum is honoured to be hosting the exhibition ‘Undying Entanglement’ by Cathy Abraham which opened on the 25th of August 2013.

This is the second in a series of exhibitions at the SAJM entitled “Who am I?” in which Jewish South African artists explore their identity and their heritage.

Abraham’s work, and particularly this exhibition, fits very neatly into this theme. Her art is deeply rooted in who she is. Much of what you see and experience are items from her past and repurposed by her art. Like all of us, Cathy is a product of the sum of her experiences.

A seminal experience that has driven much of Cathy’s art was the loss and destruction of her family home. This calamity, while tragic, proved to be a cathartic experience. As the physical grounding of her world collapsed, it opened for Abraham a new world view. In her own words, “The destruction of the house was a powerful symbol of all that had been lost. The loss of illusions of home, security, marriage, religion and relationships all tumbled down like the house”