Shterna Goldbloom

Ich Bin Di Sitra Achra (I Am the Other)

March 4, 2020 – July 3, 2020

The same woman represented by two different figures

The Hadassah-Brandeis Institute is proud to present “Ich Bin Di Sitra Achra (I Am the Other)” by Shterna Goldbloom. Goldbloom’s wistful photographic self-portraits bridge memories and experiences of the artist’s own Hasidic upbringing, with historical and invented personae. As the artist transforms herself in each composed image through dress, posture and setting, her photographs come together to present a singular but complicated expression of self as a queer Jewish woman. 

Goldbloom reinterprets the Hasidic term “Sitra Achra,” used to describe things considered to be on the "other side" of holiness — like queers and women who don't fit traditional definitions of femininity. In “Ich Bin Di Sitra Achra (I Am the Other),” the artist presents the many faces that can exist between tradition and heresy. Her gesture before the camera makes these conflicting identities visible, giving agency to those who might otherwise be obscured.

view exhibition images
woman shaking white cloth out to dry

Shterna Goldbloom, "Airing Bedikah Cloths," 2015. archival pigment print

white shirt collar with words, "ask the rabbi," hanging out to dry

Shterna Goldbloom, "Ask The Rabbi," 2015. archival pigment print

two people in bed

Shterna Goldbloom, "In Bed," 2015. archival pigment print

woman carrying buckets through the streets, men looking on

Shterna Goldbloom, "Ghetto Vecchio," 2016. archival pigment print

woman lying in cave with red rope

Shterna Goldbloom, "Blood Line," 2015. archival pigment print

woman wearing head scarf holding chicken

Shterna Goldbloom, "Kaporos," 2015. archival pigment print

woman in old cemetery with trash pile on one side

Shterna Goldbloom, "Lodz, Poland, Jewish Cemetery, 4am," 2016. archival pigment print

close up image of woman inspecting an insect

Shterna Goldbloom, "Neshomele," 2015. archival pigment print

image of two women in museum, historical clothing

Shterna Goldbloom, "Rashi's Daughter," 2016. archival pigment print

woman wearing nightgown gazing through door

Shterna Goldbloom, "Sara," 2016. archival pigment print

two women (Shterna Goldbloom) dressed differently holding hands in a field

Shterna Goldbloom, "Ich Bin Di Sitra Achra," 2015. archival pigment print

woman wearing black dress, man's hand reaching in cutting her hair

Shterna Goldbloom, "The Shechting," 2016. archival pigment print

woman looking at photograph in dark bedroom

Shterna Goldbloom, "Two Bubbies," 2015. archival pigment print

image of woman standing near stone wall

Shterna Goldbloom, "Wind Gusts through Krakow," 2016. archival pigment print

young woman leaning on ironing board, looking out the window

Shterna Goldbloom, "West Rogers Park," 2014. archival pigment print

woman looking in the mirror, sticking her stomach out and holding it

Shterna Goldbloom, "Chava," 2016. archival pigment print

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Events

Shterna Goldbloom | Artist Lecture

March 4, 2020

 

Hadassah-Brandeis Institute Artist Shterna Goldbloom discussed her work and process in "Ich Bin Di Sitra Achra (I Am the Other)."

Virtual Workshop: Self(ie) in Isolation with Shterna Goldbloom

May 3, 2020

As part of the Create@Brandeis Living Room Fest, Shterna Goldbloom led a workshop in fine-tuning your selfie techniques during these selfie-necessary times. Goldbloom talked about her self-portraits from her current exhibition “Ich Bin Di Sitra Achra (I Am the Other)” at the Kniznick Gallery through the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute Artist Program. The workshop covered angles, lighting, and playing with props.

Sponsored by the Arts Engagement team of the Division of Creative Arts, Brandeis University. Create@Brandeis Living Room Fest, May 1-3, 2020

Virtual Workshop: Exercises for the Quiet Eye with Annie Storr

May 27, 2020

WSRC Scholar, museum educator and art historian, Annie Storr led a virtual workshop in reflective looking using imagery from the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute exhibition "Ich Bin Di Sitra Achra (I am the Other)" by Shterna Goldbloom. Storr developed Exercises for the Quiet Eye (EQE) to encourage patient reflection and an attempt to avoid the rush to understand, or determine a set interpretation for what we see. Through a series of adapted exercises specifically formatted for virtual participation, the focus is to find new ways of experiencing art.