MY BAHBY (Grandmother)
Artist Statement:
My work serves as a visual bridge between the harrowing shadows of history and the urgent moral imperatives of the present. As the founder of Atelier Sid Klein, I view the canvas not merely as a space for aesthetic expression, but as a site for institutional memory and a tool for social change.
My primary focus is the preservation of the legacy of the "Kedoshim" (the holy martyrs). Through a fusion of historical themes and social commentary, I aim to confront the viewer with the visceral reality of past atrocities to illuminate the senselessness of modern hatred. My mission is simple yet profound: to use art as a catalyst for empathy and a shield against the resurgence of antisemitism and prejudice.
This commitment is reflected in my solo exhibition, KEDOSHIM, at the Gross-Rosen Muzeum in Poland, and the inclusion of my work in the Holocaust Art Research Center permanent collection of Yad Vashem. By documenting the resilience of the human spirit—as seen in award-winning pieces like BANEINU (Our Sons)—I hope to challenge the viewer to look back with clarity so that we may look forward with a deeper sense of shared humanity. My work has been awarded the 2025 and 2026 Karen Walenka Memorial Exhibit Prize,
Seven pieces---'My Zaidy', 'Innocents', 'Baneinu', 'My Bahby', 'On Our Way To Heaven', 'One Dozen Onesies', and 'Nine More Dead' were juried prize winners in the American Guild of Judaic Art’s 2026 Compassion And Justice Exhibit.and participation in the 2026 Arts Garage.
A note on how my work is organized: The Gallery section has 3 parts- Black Saturday, Holocaust, and Ghetto. The Black Saturday paintings were done first in 2023. I was attending the Advanced Painting course in the Graduate School of Art at Florida International University on that never-to-be-forgotten day, October 7, 2023. That day's murders and atrocities had a profound effect on my psyche. The news and the comparisons being made to the Holocaust prompted me to look at Holocaust photos for the first time in my life. Before, I could pretend the Holocaust never happened. No more and never again. My painting, the Holocaust, and October 7 came together. I began to paint with purpose for the first time. I was born again.
INNOCENTS
My foundational visual source is B&W photos, the majority taken by the Soviet and US military liberating the death camps. Other sources are ghetto photos taken by the inhabitants or the SS. By some cosmic mystery, an element in a photo will capture my interest. The rest of the existing image is of no interest to me.
I'll render my vision of this element in ink, graphite, or charcoal on rough 300 lb watercolor paper, 22x30", which provides the weight and surface texture I prefer. A note on why paper. The paper is taped to a drawing board suspended between my knees and the worktable. I am sitting. This gives me a hard working surface and the maneuverability I need. I paint by rotating the work through 360 degrees as needed, again and again. A canvas is too ungainly. Plus, paper is space-saving.
If my drawing is the musical notes, my color choices are the lyrics. I love working with a good brush and a good blend of pigment and gloss glaze. I enjoy the marks I am making and seeing them when I am done. They give an extra translucency and dimension to the work. They're my calligraphy.
I feel no constraints
Please address questions and comments to me in the Contact section.