For Ceija Stojka, memory is survival. An Austrian Romani child survivor of the Holocaust, her art not only depicts the horrors she endured but also celebrates the tenderness of everyday life.
The Drawing Center’s exhibition Ceija Stojka: Making Visible showcases over 50 paintings and drawings that demonstrate her self-taught artistic practice. Through these works, Stojka rejects fascism by emphasizing Romani traditions such as living in horse-drawn wagons, which she equates with natural splendor.
Her memoirs provide a stark account of life in concentration camps like Auschwitz, Ravensbrück and Bergen-Belsen. ‘Sad Earth’ (1998) captures the arrival of prisoners at Auschwitz, while They Devoured Us (1995) uses unsettling imagery to highlight the term porajmos, meaning 'the devouring' in reference to the Romani Holocaust.
The artist’s ability to convey complex personal experiences without formal education is a testament to her creativity. Stojka’s work serves as both a reminder of history and an argument for its value at individual and collective levels.
