Objects

The drawing illustrates the motif of a carousel, given a symbolic dimension by Hanna Krall in her book "Zdążyć przed Panem Bogiem" (Wrocław 1977). Jaśmina Wójcik contrasted the image of the ghetto, where hunger, persecution and death are the order of the day, with the Aryan side where – right next to the wall dividing these areas – there is a carousel. It is a symbol of the carefree fun and safety lost as a result of the war and, at the same time, of people's indifference to the tragedy happening on the other side of the fence. At first, people did not dare to use the carousel standing right next to the ghetto, but after a few days they forgot their fears and sympathies. Marek Edelman, whose memoirs were described by Krall, pointed out that during the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, the fighters were afraid that the device and the noises coming from it would drown out what was happening behind the wall. This is one of the few drawings in this series in which the artist introduced colours, serving to highlight the contrast between the Aryan side and the ghetto. MBK