Debra Kaszovitz

My work addresses the ideas of loss and recovery over time – a concept first introduced to me by my father relating his experiences as a Holocaust survivor. I make my wall sculptures from handmade recycled paper, scrapyard metal, my own photographs, and encaustic (wax) paint.  I apply water and heat to manipulate paper casts I make from damaged objects into new shapes that are healed, sturdy and lightweight. Many of the pieces are multi-panel, in order to capture aspects of disintegration and regeneration. These new forms have images of nature, architecture, and long gone personal items embedded within them. I form connections between the materials, the colors, and the images that suggest that the past, whether of the natural world or personal, can be recovered in a new form in order to transcend time and traumatic physical events. During the past six years this theme became even more important to me because it was necessary for me to serve as the primary caregiver and advocate for my children who suffered severe medical crises, required intensive therapy, and achieved significant progress toward full recovery. Adaptation to loss, recovery, and communicating about history are personally meaningful themes I hope viewers discover within my work.

Recent work focuses on birds that have been marginalized in South Florida, the so called “garbage birds” we tend to ignore in our parking lots and garbage dumps. There is a beauty in these common birds and also strong survival traits that attracted me to them. They become characters in my work that are stealing items both prosaic and metaphorical, such as a child’s toy, a watch, or even a toy house.  The loss of childhood and material possessions is something we all come to terms with. However, the recovery of a sense of wonder is something we can all strive for.