Grunwald exhibit honors memory of the Holocaust

Frames on the walls of the Grunwald Gallery of Art depict the last remnants of a lost culture.

Formerly the School of Fine Arts Gallery, the newly named space celebrated its late namesake, John Grunwald, with the opening of a new exhibit, “Last Folio: A Photographic Journey with Yuri Dojc.”

“Last Folio,” which opened Friday, uses photographs and other visuals to depict the lost culture of Slovak Jews whose lives were destroyed by the Holocaust.

“We all strive to leave something behind, a mark after we have left,” Dojc said in reference to his inspiration for attaining his photographs. “But there is almost nothing left of the people whose lives were cut short during the Holocaust.”

Dojc and his partner, Katiya Krausova, journeyed through Slovakia to depict the lives of the Holocaust survivors.

“I wasn’t sure how easy or difficult this was going to be,” Krausova said. “But it became clear that if we didn’t tell these people’s stories, they would never be told.”

The duo said their greatest discovery was a school in Slovakia that had remained untouched since its students and teachers were taken to concentration camps in 1942.

“It was a miracle,” Dojc said. “Everything was exactly like it was before.”

Dojc photographed many of his findings within the school, including class papers and a large amount of literature.

“I felt I had to be very careful with those books,” Dojc said. “They were really the last monuments to the people that owned them.”

“Last Folio” is not simply a line of photographs. It is designed to make the viewer travel through a narrow canal that leads to a large circular gallery area. The canal allows viewers to first see the faces of the survivors and then see the remnants they left behind.

“Yuri has translated his skills of looking at people into immortalizing these photos in an iconic way,” Krausova said.

“Last Folio” can be seen at the Grunwald Gallery until Oct. 1. The event is made possible by a gift from Rita Grunwald, widow of John Grunwald.

John Grunwald was a Holocaust survivor from Hungary. He came to the United States in 1950 and earned a degree in economics at IU. He passed away in 2009.

Jane Otten, longtime friend of Rita Grunwald, attended the opening as a sign of both interest and support.

“I know this show is very important to her,” Otten said. “She found it in New York and wanted very much to bring it here. And she did.”

The exhibit was not the only focus of the evening. Those involved were sure to pay homage to the man for whom the art gallery is now named.

“We are here because Rita fell in love with these pictures and felt they were the proper tribute to John,” Krausova said. “She has given us all this great gift.”