I branded my mother’s Auschwitz number on my arm and photographed it as it healed as well as myself with it in different social contexts, 2011.
my mothers scar where her number was
Branding video still Garbasz
day 11 close up 16.8
Day 104
portait day 1
Day 8 slut walk belrin 13.8
Day 24, 29.8
Garbasz--Six Used Brands, installation view
Garbasz--The Number Project, 2011--installation shot III
The Number Project, Installation View
The number project installation view.
part of The Number Project, install view
margalit number
The Number Project, 2011
My mother had a number tattooed on her arm when she was a prisoner in Auschwitz. She had it removed later while living in England, as she could not stand to answer the questions people kept asking her about her number. When my mother died the number that she could not bear to see and have, I would see and have. I did not want to forget it or allow it to disappear from social consciousness. I branded the number in the same size and location on my arm. Branding produced a visually distinct image from a tattoo. There is a video of the branding, as well as a photographic series showing the number in my daily life.