Ori Gersht's "The Forest"
In The Forest, each falling tree leaves a scar, stems, and roots, which were shaped by brutality and barbarism. –Ori Gersht
As bloodshed and violence cast shadows over a Europe increasingly anxious about a widening war, Gersht’s video The Forest, shot in the borderlands of Ukraine in 2005, is a visceral reminder of the elemental tensions that continue to haunt this landscape. Made in memory of the artist’s family members who were killed or displaced during World War Two, The Forest is also a requiem for the countless others, of different nationalities and faiths, who have lost their lives to war.
Gersht (b. 1967) uses photography, film, and video to explore themes of history, landscape, and memory and their relationship to each other. Several of his works, including The Forest, are in the Yale Center for British Art’s collection. The film was screened in the museum’s Lecture Hall as part of an installation of work by Gersht (November 6–December 30, 2007) and was featured on the YCBA website in the exhibition Art in Focus: The Provocation of Conditions (June 21–August 23, 2021).
Gersht will be in conversation with Linda Friedlaender, Head of Education, Yale Center for British Art, on Friday, June 10 at noon ET.
The Forest was commissioned by Film and Video Umbrella in Association with The Photographers’ Gallery, with support from Arts Council England.
Film Credit
The Forest, Ori Gersht (2005, 13 mins., 23 secs.), Gift of Alexander F. Cohen, Yale BA 1982, MA 1985, JD 1988, on the occasion of his Yale College 25th Reunion