About Facing Survival
Facing Survival was conceived by David Kassan, a Brooklyn based artist as way to connect with his Grandfather’s story of Surviving ethnic Cleansing.
The purposes of the project are manifold. It aims to document firsthand the stories of the ever-shrinking number of survivors of the Holocaust, or Shoah. By exploring the entire lives of these survivors, from before World War II to the present day, it tells stories of perseverance and of life in America from the postwar period to the 21st century. “The whole idea is really to think about putting a personal face on the Holocaust, because people have become so indifferent,” Kassan says. “It’s an abstract idea, because people no longer come into contact with survivors.” The project is also an opportunity for the artist to better appreciate an aspect of his own family’s history. In 1917, when he was about 5 years old, Kassan’s grandfather escaped ethnic cleansing on the border of Ukraine and Romania.
David Kassan - Visual Artist and Filmmaker.
Born in 1977 in Little Rock, Arkansas, David Jon Kassan is an internationally recognized contemporary American painter, best known for his life-size representational paintings, which combine figurative subjects with symbolic textured abstract backgrounds. A form of social documentary, David’s paintings are often described as raw, poignant and profoundly honest, capturing humanity in its true form. As an artist, Kassan acts as an empathetic intermediary between the subject he portrays and the viewer. More than simply replicating his subjects Kassan seeks to understand them. He seeks to capture the essence of those he paints, imbuing them with their own voice.
David is a lauded realist painter who brings “Facing Survival” to USC Fisher Museum of Art following his residency with the museum and USC Shoah Foundation in 2018. Kassan’s works can be seen in many public and private collections worldwide. He is represented by Gallery Henoch (Chelsea), New York, NY and The Maxwell Alexander Gallery, Los Angeles. Kassan lives and works in Albuquerque, New Mexico and Brooklyn, NYC. His art has been exhibited at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, The National Portrait Gallery in London, The Scottish National Portrait Gallery, among others.
Stephen D. Smith - Co-curator, advisor
Dr. Stephen D. Smith is the Finci-Viterbi Endowed Executive Director of USC Shoah Foundation, and holds the UNESCO Chair on Genocide Education.
Smith founded the UK Holocaust Centre in Nottinghamshire, England, and co-founded the Aegis Trust for the prevention of crimes against humanity and genocide.
Smith has served as a producer on a number of film and new media projects, including Dimensions in Testimony, and the VR project "The Last Goodbye."
In recognition of his work, Smith has become a member of the Order of the British Empire and received the Interfaith Gold Medallion. He also holds two honorary doctorates, and lectures widely on issues relating to the history and collective response to the Holocaust, genocide, and crimes against humanity.
