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| Lessons From the Plagues, Painted for Passover | Lessons From the Plagues, Painted for Passover |
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| In quarantine at her home in Tel Aviv last month, the artist Zoya Cherkassky came across a YouTube video of a wedding ceremony held in a Jewish cemetery just outside the city during the early days of the coronavirus outbreak. She learned that such “plague weddings” had evolved in the 19th century across Eastern Europe as a ritual to ward off cholera epidemics. | In quarantine at her home in Tel Aviv last month, the artist Zoya Cherkassky came across a YouTube video of a wedding ceremony held in a Jewish cemetery just outside the city during the early days of the coronavirus outbreak. She learned that such “plague weddings” had evolved in the 19th century across Eastern Europe as a ritual to ward off cholera epidemics. |
| The artist drew “Black Chuppah” in response, a quick work on paper in ink of a sweetly somber bride and groom in black, holding hands under the Jewish wedding canopy erected amid tombstones. | The artist drew “Black Chuppah” in response, a quick work on paper in ink of a sweetly somber bride and groom in black, holding hands under the Jewish wedding canopy erected amid tombstones. |
| Every day since, Ms. Cherkassky has completed another melancholic vignette evoking pre-World War II Jewish life. But the past feels simultaneously contemporary in these intimate paintings on paper. A man carries provisions through a burning shtetl. A family is cloistered together at home in tight quarters. A young girl peers longingly through a curtained window. | Every day since, Ms. Cherkassky has completed another melancholic vignette evoking pre-World War II Jewish life. But the past feels simultaneously contemporary in these intimate paintings on paper. A man carries provisions through a burning shtetl. A family is cloistered together at home in tight quarters. A young girl peers longingly through a curtained window. |
| Now, the gallery Fort Gansevoort is showing her new series virtually, in the online exhibition “Lost Time,” engagingly drawn in a style that evokes both Marc Chagall and Edward Gorey. For instance, “An Open Air Minyan,” darkly humorous, shows 10 religious men gathered in a field to pray — and spaced with the requisite social distancing. | Now, the gallery Fort Gansevoort is showing her new series virtually, in the online exhibition “Lost Time,” engagingly drawn in a style that evokes both Marc Chagall and Edward Gorey. For instance, “An Open Air Minyan,” darkly humorous, shows 10 religious men gathered in a field to pray — and spaced with the requisite social distancing. |
| “There is no mysticism in my work usually,” Ms. Cherkassky said in a conference call together with the Brooklyn-based curator Alison Gingeras, both isolating in their homes with young children. “I’m not a religious person. But I’ve also never experienced such a situation.” | “There is no mysticism in my work usually,” Ms. Cherkassky said in a conference call together with the Brooklyn-based curator Alison Gingeras, both isolating in their homes with young children. “I’m not a religious person. But I’ve also never experienced such a situation.” |
| The series is a stark departure for the artist, who was born in Kyiv in 1976 and immigrated to Israel in 1991, just before the collapse of the Soviet Union. Well known in Israel, where she was given a midcareer survey in 2018 at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, Ms. Cherkassky had her U.S. debut last year in New York at Fort Gansevoort. The vibrantly colored paintings of her Soviet-era childhood, rendered in an appealing combination of social realism and cartooning, were a “knockout,” Roberta Smith wrote in The New York Times. | The series is a stark departure for the artist, who was born in Kyiv in 1976 and immigrated to Israel in 1991, just before the collapse of the Soviet Union. Well known in Israel, where she was given a midcareer survey in 2018 at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, Ms. Cherkassky had her U.S. debut last year in New York at Fort Gansevoort. The vibrantly colored paintings of her Soviet-era childhood, rendered in an appealing combination of social realism and cartooning, were a “knockout,” Roberta Smith wrote in The New York Times. |
| The new virtual show reflects the interplay between the artist and curator, who over the last month have been exchanging daily images and writings through text and Zoom. Ms. Cherkassky’s images, drawing on cultural and collective memory, anchor personal and historical ruminations by Ms. Gingeras, who contributed observations about the life of New Yorkers during the crisis. | The new virtual show reflects the interplay between the artist and curator, who over the last month have been exchanging daily images and writings through text and Zoom. Ms. Cherkassky’s images, drawing on cultural and collective memory, anchor personal and historical ruminations by Ms. Gingeras, who contributed observations about the life of New Yorkers during the crisis. |
| In one exhibition entry, the curator writes: “Zoya’s Jewish family offers us an allegorical portrait of this moment: an imposed ritual of sitting at home, with our thoughts toggling back and forth between memories of things past and anxious projections of an undefined future.” | In one exhibition entry, the curator writes: “Zoya’s Jewish family offers us an allegorical portrait of this moment: an imposed ritual of sitting at home, with our thoughts toggling back and forth between memories of things past and anxious projections of an undefined future.” |
| Following are excerpts from the recent conference call with the artist and the curator. | Following are excerpts from the recent conference call with the artist and the curator. |
| Does “Black Chuppah” have an element of hope in its bleakness? | Does “Black Chuppah” have an element of hope in its bleakness? |
| ZOYA CHERKASSKY It’s a ritual performed in order to avoid disaster. They hope for something. For me, it was scary to see. Like the epidemic, it does not seem to belong to nowadays. It belongs to old times. You suddenly don’t understand what is happening with time. It gave me a push to do this type of shtetl and Holocaust drawing. | ZOYA CHERKASSKY It’s a ritual performed in order to avoid disaster. They hope for something. For me, it was scary to see. Like the epidemic, it does not seem to belong to nowadays. It belongs to old times. You suddenly don’t understand what is happening with time. It gave me a push to do this type of shtetl and Holocaust drawing. |
| ALISON GINGERAS I first saw “Black Chuppah” one morning on Instagram. Somebody had reposted Zoya’s image. The Gothic sensibility of it really stuck in my head. I walk my dog every morning, often past Brooklyn Hospital, and that same morning they first erected a corona tent in front of the hospital. The confluence of these two images struck me. Then I was approached later that day [by the gallery] about this project. | ALISON GINGERAS I first saw “Black Chuppah” one morning on Instagram. Somebody had reposted Zoya’s image. The Gothic sensibility of it really stuck in my head. I walk my dog every morning, often past Brooklyn Hospital, and that same morning they first erected a corona tent in front of the hospital. The confluence of these two images struck me. Then I was approached later that day [by the gallery] about this project. |
| Is there a kind of diaristic quality about this project? | Is there a kind of diaristic quality about this project? |
| CHERKASSKY There is, but I think it’s rather about my subconscious. I really like how Alison is combining these imaginary images with her own real-life observations and what is going on in New York. | CHERKASSKY There is, but I think it’s rather about my subconscious. I really like how Alison is combining these imaginary images with her own real-life observations and what is going on in New York. |
| The show opens on Passover and some of the images specifically refer to the holiday. What kind of message do you see in the works? | The show opens on Passover and some of the images specifically refer to the holiday. What kind of message do you see in the works? |
| CHERKASSKY In Israel everybody is very busy with Passover now because it’s the biggest holiday. Also, it’s a big fear because everybody is thinking about what will be after Passover. The story of Exodus, another story of danger, is very symbolic for this situation. | CHERKASSKY In Israel everybody is very busy with Passover now because it’s the biggest holiday. Also, it’s a big fear because everybody is thinking about what will be after Passover. The story of Exodus, another story of danger, is very symbolic for this situation. |
| GINGERAS There’s a lot of reflection about the question of sacrifice that obviously is a thread of this season, between Passover and Easter. Even the kind of pagan practices of the spring season often had to do with symbolic sacrifice. With the frame of all this symbolic celebration, the show does have a kind of heavier tenor. | GINGERAS There’s a lot of reflection about the question of sacrifice that obviously is a thread of this season, between Passover and Easter. Even the kind of pagan practices of the spring season often had to do with symbolic sacrifice. With the frame of all this symbolic celebration, the show does have a kind of heavier tenor. |
| The song “Chad Gadya,” sung at the end of the Passover Seder, seems to be an inspiration for you. | The song “Chad Gadya,” sung at the end of the Passover Seder, seems to be an inspiration for you. |
| CHERKASSKY At least four drawings in the series are related to “Chad Gadya.” In the last two verses, the Angel of Death comes and kills the butcher, and then the God comes and kills the Angel of Death. I illustrated this like a diptych. One side has a skeleton that looks like a Nazi soldier. The second part of it is taken from the victory parade in Red Square [after the defeat of Nazi Germany] where Stalin is the God. | CHERKASSKY At least four drawings in the series are related to “Chad Gadya.” In the last two verses, the Angel of Death comes and kills the butcher, and then the God comes and kills the Angel of Death. I illustrated this like a diptych. One side has a skeleton that looks like a Nazi soldier. The second part of it is taken from the victory parade in Red Square [after the defeat of Nazi Germany] where Stalin is the God. |
| Updated June 12, 2020 | Updated June 12, 2020 |
| So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. | So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. |
| Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. | |
| A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. | A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. |
| The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. | The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. |
| Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. | Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. |
| Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. | Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. |
| States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. | States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. |
| Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. | Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. |
| If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) | If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) |
| Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. | Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. |
| The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. | The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. |
| If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. | If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. |
| If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. | If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. |
| GINGERAS That image of Stalin does have a particular resonance right now. We’re seeing authoritarian regimes that are basically extending their abuse of democratic rule of law through this crisis. Even in this country, there’s a lot of anxiety about what’s going to happen with the elections this year. | GINGERAS That image of Stalin does have a particular resonance right now. We’re seeing authoritarian regimes that are basically extending their abuse of democratic rule of law through this crisis. Even in this country, there’s a lot of anxiety about what’s going to happen with the elections this year. |
| The isolated face peeking out in “Girl at the Window” seems to conflate past and present. | The isolated face peeking out in “Girl at the Window” seems to conflate past and present. |
| CHERKASSKY “Girl at the Window” is like Anne Frank. Of course there is a huge gap between the Holocaust and what is going on now. But everybody, especially in Israel, has grown up with these Holocaust stories. When something terrifying happens, this is immediately what you think about. | CHERKASSKY “Girl at the Window” is like Anne Frank. Of course there is a huge gap between the Holocaust and what is going on now. But everybody, especially in Israel, has grown up with these Holocaust stories. When something terrifying happens, this is immediately what you think about. |
| GINGERAS All the associations in these drawings go beyond the question of Jewish identity. Of course they have a very specific reference point to lost eras and historical traumas. But there is a common humanity that underlies all these images and that takes on a collective resonance for all of us as we experience this kind of Sabbath environment now every day across the world. | GINGERAS All the associations in these drawings go beyond the question of Jewish identity. Of course they have a very specific reference point to lost eras and historical traumas. But there is a common humanity that underlies all these images and that takes on a collective resonance for all of us as we experience this kind of Sabbath environment now every day across the world. |