VISUAL ARTS + MUSEUMS

The Jewish Community Center of Houston unveils a must-see, one-of-a-kind photographic art exhibit on Saturday, October 30, at 6:30 p.m. Rafael Goldchain will speak about his exhibit I Am My Family: Photographic Memories and Fictions, opening in the JCC Deutser Art Gallery, 5601 S. Braeswood. Exhibition on view through December 5.

Goldchain’s exhibit is a family album of traditional portrait photographs where the only subject is Goldchain himself. Using genealogical research, makeup, hair styling, costume and props, the photographer transforms himself over and over again into his ancestors capturing their personification with the camera. His powerful images take us into his familial history, and, in essence, our history, of a family decimated and scattered by the traumatic events of the 20th century.

Goldchain's Polish-Jewish ancestors immigrated to South America in the 1930s, and many others perished in Poland during the Nazi regime. Also lost in the turmoil of war and emigration were most of the portraits of his extended family. When Goldchain became a parent himself, he decided to make up for this lack of evidence and recreate the lost generations of the past, in the present.
Born and raised in Santiago, Chile, Rafael Goldchain moved to Canada in 1976, where he received an MFA from York University and a BAA from Ryerson Polytechnic Institute. He is currently Program Coordinator of the Applied Photography Program at Sheridan Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning in Oakville, Ontario.

Goldchain’s is the second art exhibit to open at the Deutser Art Gallery this season and his presentation in the Kaplan Theatre will be followed by the dedication of the Gerald Rauch Cultural & Performing Arts Wing at 7:30 p.m. A reception in the Gallery follows.

The Jewish Community Center will dedicate the Gerald Rauch Cultural & Performing Arts Wing on Saturday, October 30 at 7:30 p.m. Rabbi Roy Walter of Congregation Emanu El and Hazzan David Propis of Congregation Beth Yeshurun will commemorate the occasion by affixing a new mezuzah and singing traditional prayers. The Rauch family has generously dedicated the wing in memory of the late Gerald Rauch, a former JCC President and strong supporter of the arts.

Visit www.jcchouston.org  for more information about the 38th Annual Jewish Book & Arts Fair or call 713-551-7209 x3299.

This program was made possible, in part, by funding from the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston, the United Way, Continental Airlines and JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Pictured:  Rafael Goldchain dressed as Pesia Krongold.