J  O  A  N  N  A     G  A  R  M  O  N

Performance/Walk, Photo Series & Short Film, 2024

 

As the first person in my extended family to return to Berlin after my relatives were forced to flee in 1939, I am a bridge. It sometimes feels as if I am living out a life that is not mine, living out the lives my relatives were not able to, to try to close this circle, find continuity, and bridge generations.

​

​On two blustery days of January 2024, I set out on foot to visit eight significant locations in Berlin, spanning east to west, linking my residences with those of my ancestors/relatives. I placed my painting as a temporary memorial, to examine if the process of walking — tracing a map with my work —  may expand or release intergenerational dialogue. If the process of being a passerby, a carrier for something much larger than myself, might actually encourage generational healing — bringing awareness and emphasis back to the homes from which my relatives were forced to leave, or from which they were deported and ultimately executed. ​​