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From the concept to the project

ANTONIO RECALCATI
I do not practice my faith, and I approached Judaism in a very “subdued” way. I started to work on hanukkiot when I became fascinated with the subtle implications of the holiday they represent. Hanukkah is a joyous event that celebrates life and light after centuries of suffering and darkness. The millennia of Jewish culture and history fascinate me, I admire the feelings that indissolubly link man to G-d, without intermediaries.
You try to maintain every connection with your past. To me, this is imperative in order to keep a culture vibrant. Culture cannot live in a vacuum. It needs roots and strength. The roots and strength of Judaism are in its tradition.
It seems your linkage with the past is transmitted the moment you are conceived. A bond that never really allows you to disregard Mosaic Law. Of all the hanukkiot I have made, my favourite is the first, dated 1996. It is a bronze casting, but it is not the material that is important. It is my favourite because of what it signifies. The branches represent the folded notes that are placed in the cracks in the Western Wall in Jerusalem. As I said before, my fascination with the world and culture of Judaism gained me an insight into its tradition. This is my way of keeping the tradition alive.