Cleansing water
Until 7 June, the Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz are presenting photographs by Peter Seidel, who has been artistically exploring historical mikvahs for more than three decades.
The photographs take us to hidden places of Jewish ritual practice and combine architectural documentation with a sensitive visual language that impressively depicts the interplay of space, light and water. They provide access to spaces that have been central places of Jewish religious life for centuries and still exert a special fascination today. Peter Seidel devotes himself to the mostly underground facilities with a precise eye for their architectural structure and their special atmosphere. The selection of large-format, backlit colour photographs were taken in Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria and France.
In 2022, the remains of a historic mikvah were discovered during excavations in the Johannisvorstadt district of Chemnitz. This discovery, which is unique in Saxony to date, has once again raised public awareness of a type of building that is firmly anchored in the religious life of Jewish communities. A mikvah is a ritual bathing facility that is built according to clearly defined religious regulations. It is not used for physical hygiene, but for spiritual cleansing. It is based on the traditions of the Torah and Talmud. According to orthodox Jewish belief, complete immersion in so-called living water cancels the state of cultic impurity and enables the return to religious community life. Since late antiquity, mikvahs have also been established in Europe with the founding of Jewish communities. Significant examples from the Middle Ages have been preserved in Speyer, Worms and Friedberg, among other places. Modern mikvahs, on the other hand, often appear in a functional, contemporary form.
The exhibition Ganz rein! is part of the programme of Tacheles - Year of Jewish Culture in Saxony. It is accompanied by a lecture, a museum rally and a guided tour by curators.