With two new exhibits opening at the Wende Museum this Sunday, November 14, there was a moment on Friday, November 12, 2021 for a brief preview, and some candid and poignant words from the curators, artists and supporters.
The opening of new exhibitions Questionable History and Soviet Jewish Life: Bill Aron and Yevgeniy Fiks will be both a return and a new beginning for the Wende. Questionable History offers some classic pieces from the Wende’s collection, with a center set for critical thinking; Is history a story we tell? Do we understand the past through the present? Do we know what we (don’t) know? With everything from a still-crated statue of Lenin that had been taken down in Latvia during the fall of the Soviet Union to a selection of paintings made in Russia under the totalitarian regime, the questions bring viewers back to their own preconceived ideas about what life in the Soviet-era was like (or was it?)
The new photography exhibit, Soviet Jewish Life; Bill Aron and Yevgeniy Fiks will be the first presented by the new Robin Center for Russian-Speaking Jewry. Both Ed Robin and Bill Aron spoke to the intimate crowd of attendees at the preview, with Robin offering his enthusiasm for the partnership with the Wende Museum, and Aron telling stories of the risk involved in taking photographs of oppressed communities and ‘refusniks’ – Jews who had requested permission to emigrate, and were denied by the authoritarian government.
On Sunday, November 14, 2021, the Wende will have a full day of programming that will include guided tours, a live performance by artist Sichong Xie, a garden reception, and a panel discussion featuring prominent former Refuseniks.
Free. No RSVP Required.
Wende Museum is at 10808 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA 90230
Judith Martin-Straw
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