Family Portraits Woven into Grodno I, 2026

Ines Fragm  

This conceptual mixed media print features a digital collage juxtaposing late-1930s to early-1970s analog photographs from the artist’s family archive with architectural elements of Grodno, creating a unique visual exploration of historical memory. Into the monumental stone texture of the Kalozha Church—one of the oldest surviving 12th-century Eastern Orthodox structures in Eastern Europe, celebrated for its unique architectural anatomy—the artist weaves fragments of the family home and the silhouette of a cathedral. The portraits of the artist’s grandmother and mother metaphorically emerge through the ancient plinthite masonry. A late photograph of the mother is integrated directly into the image of the stone, where the facial features adopt its relief, allowing fragile human memory to visually acquire its enduring strength.
The artist’s work aims to restore the integrity of the family archive. By embedding these portraits into the stone, she finds an evocative visual solution to overcome the historical upheavals of the past century: she permanently documents a family connection—the link to her ancestors, the city, the landscape of the neighboring countries they come from, and their ancestral home. When official paper chronicles are lost to the fires of history, the language of collage becomes the primary tool for a material reconstruction of the past. Through this artwork, the author physically returns the imagery of her ancestors to the shared space of memory, transforming the architectural heritage of Grodno into an indestructible foundation and the new guardian of her lineage history.
TECHNIQUE, AUTHENTICITY & SHIPPING
The artwork is printed on a premium matte Hahnemühle Photo Rag 308 gsm paper using archival museum-grade pigment inks, ensuring exceptional longevity and color fidelity.
EACH PRINT IS ACCOMPANIED by dual documentation—a USA Gallery Certificate of Authenticity and an original, hand-signed Artist Certificate sent directly from the artist's studio—with a matching security code permanently linking the print and both documents to confirm its provenance and absolute authenticity.
THE PHYSICAL PRINT ITSELF is not hand-signed on the front; instead, the unique security code and edition number are hand-written in pencil on the reverse side. It ships securely rolled in a heavy-duty tube, with the hand-signed Artist Certificate dispatched separately from the artist's studio via registered mail within 7 days and arriving later (a few days or weeks after the print). An ideal acquisition for modern art enthusiasts, this piece offers a refined aesthetic and profound narrative depth, making it a valuable addition to any contemporary collection.
AVAILABLE FORMATS & EDITIONS
This description is for Format 1. A larger size (Format 2) is also available. If you prefer to purchase the larger format, please click the "Contact the gallery" button on this page before ordering, and the gallery will assist you with the purchase.
— Format 1 (Ed. of 25): Paper Size 16 x 12 in (40.6 x 30.5 cm)
— Image Size: 14.17 x 10.04 in (36 x 25.5 cm)
— Format 2 (Ed. of 15): Paper Size 24 x 18 in (61.0 x 45.7 cm)
— Image Size: 20.87 x 14.76 in (53 x 37.48 cm)
Note: All formats are natively based on standard US inches and printed with wide archival margins.
Global Edition
— Total Global Edition: 40 prints + 5 AP across all sizes.