BITTER SWEET LULLABY
Reliving the most tragic period of time in your life, is not something most people would want to do. But 11 years after losing her daughter to cancer at age 26, that’s exactly what Orit Hofstein is doing. Turning tragedy into something for the greater good, Hofstein’s now displaying a collection of hauntingly beautiful photographs, titled Lullaby, which she took as a way to channel her grief, at the MaRS Centre in Toronto, with proceeds from the sale of each picture going directly to the Princess Margaret Foundation. Shots of broken ceramic dolls in a worn out world, among the collection of photographs, show the reality of the unsolved mysteries of life.
As part of this year’s Scotiabank CONTACT Toronto Photography Festival, Hofstein’s work carries with it such a sadness, that the mother herself can barely hold back, even after all the time that has passed. And yet on opening night, through trying to hold back tears, there was also a sense of hope, knowing that money will be raised on behalf of her work. Anyone who stops by the main gallery at MaRS, an airy, light filled space, to see these shots can gather somewhat of an understanding of such loss. “The helplessness that I encountered living the horror of cancer drives me to do everything within my capacity and power to advance its research,” says Hofstein, a multi-disciplinary artist, has exhibited in Italy, Israel, England and the USA. This is Hofstein’s first Canadian exhibition.
