About Beyond Genocide & Amy Fagin

Artist Statement 

The series Beyond Genocide comprises a collection of contemporary illuminated manuscripts that examine regions of the world that have experienced large-scale episodes of genocide and mass annihilation. Narrating a visual synthesis of these events and their aftermath, these illuminations offer a unique interpretation of the complex legacy of genocide worldwide. Through a multi-faceted lens, Beyond Genocide delves into the socio-cultural and political implications of these tragedies, offering a deeper avenue for understanding the impact of genocide on humanity as well as our willingness and ability to prevent genocide in the future.

The unifying element of the series is the inclusion of the “Mourner’s Kaddish,” a traditional Jewish liturgical blessing that honors the memory of the dead. This ancient Aramaic prayer, rendered for the victims of mass atrocity, expresses profound compassion and empathy, offering a collective remembrance and blessing. The illuminator’s artistry brings this prayer to life, imbuing it with a visual language that enhances its emotional resonance and evokes deep reflection and contemplation. Incorporating the Mourner’s Kaddish not only highlights the complexities of religious expression and belief systems but also adds layers of paradox and meaning that challenge and enrich the underlying themes of the works.

Biography

Amy Fagin is a United States-based visual artist specializing in the traditional art form of manuscript illumination while embracing modern techniques and applications. Her body of work represents a meta-modernist approach to the materials, techniques and theoretical principles used in manuscript illumination for contemporary consideration. She is the author of Beyond Genocide, an emerging series of illuminations narrating a visual arts perspective on global incidents of genocide and mass violence.

Amy is also an independent scholar in genocide studies and conducts research, seminars, lectures, workshops, and advisory work on global initiatives of memory and memorialization through individual and collective arts expression and the museum experience. She has contributed expertise to international consultative events such as the African Union Human Rights Memorial Project in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and the 5th International Symposium on Genocide and the Pursuit of Justice in Dhaka, Bangladesh. She currently serves on the executive board of the International Association of Genocide Scholars and as an international advisor for the Winter School in Genocide Studies in Dhaka, Bangladesh. She regularly publishes editorials, reviews, and essays on genocide, memory, memorialization, art and 21st century expression, and education, and conducts Scholars Travel Seminars to societies victimized by mass violence to better understand the social processes and pursuits of collective memory, truth and justice.