Print 1: “Olya and Sveta”
In this print, I chose to explore my grandfather’s surroundings. Grandfather Mark was born in Kherson in 1929. He grew up in Moscow, was deported to Kazakhstan and came to Israel in the 1980’s. The story of his life spans almost the whole of the previous century, the events of World War II and Stalinism. However, I decided to dedicate my piece to his current surroundings, to the things that are present in his life now and are about to disappear.
I used the format we can see in Kaplan’s works: different parts of the page are dedicated to various scenes, similar to the prints illustrating texts.

In the upper part of the print, we see the Moldavian women, Grandfather Mark’s caregivers, Olya and Sveta. They speak Russian due to the Soviet occupation of Moldova and from that inverted place they can form a closeness with my grandfather, The caregivers have their own story; their children are waiting for them at home.

At the bottom we see the relaxation area that grandfather built for himself like a bird building a nest, improvised and eclectic. My mother argued that this place would not survive the first rain, but it ended up surviving for four years: Sveta and Grandfather Mark maintained it like sailors fighting with the ship’s sails against the storms.

Print #2: “Étagère”
An Étagère is a typical set of shelves every household in the USSR used to have. My grandparents brought theirs to Israel when they made aliyah, and during my childhood it was always in the background. On the shelves were books and paintings given to them by their grandchildren, and above the shelves – photos of my grandparents’ parents and others who were already gone. The shelves were also littered with medication and spectacles. The Étagère felt like an shrine, frequently reorganized but preserving a certain truth and the faith in family bonds and family history. In my print I showed the shelves and my grandfather in his characteristic posture, with his legs crossed.

Pearl Schneider (b. 1983)
Artist. Born and raised in Jerusalem, works in Tel Aviv. Holds degrees from The Bezalel Academy of Art (cum laude). In her work, Pearl combines the daily reality with mystical dreamy elements. Held solo exhibitions at The Jerusalem Artists House and the Jerusalem Artists' Studios, Maya Gallery and more. Took part in many group exhibitions in museums and galleries in Israel. Winner of the Moses Prize for Painting in 2015 and the Presser Prize in 2007.