5. ‘as far as possible’ (2025) – Hannah Machover

2025. dry point etchings
sizes varying between 30 x 21 cm – 84 x 42 cm

Carefully arranged on a display table, the intimate scale of Hannah
Machover’s etchings invites viewers to lean in. Distilled into potent lines
are experiences of internment and isolation from loved ones, drawn
from letters written by Jewish refugees in Britain who were reclassified
as ‘enemy aliens’ following the country’s entry into the war in 1939. Her
delicate, complex compositions evoke a sense of confinement and hint
at vast, interior landscapes of solitude. At once surreal and allegorical,
Machover’s compositions centre quiet gestures of care and support: a
parcel thoughtfully wrapped, a shirt mended by a loved one’s hand.

Each of the twelve etchings draws from a rich constellation of
references gathered during Machover’s residency. These include letters
from the Carry Gorney and Heinz Skyte collections in the Holocaust
Centre North Archive, as well as echoes of lines and imagery found in
literature, art history, and the stories passed down in Machover’s own
family, who fled antisemitism in central Europe.

With thanks to Carry Gorney and the Skyte family whose collections
inspired this work. Courtesy of Holocaust Centre North Archive. Table
by Louie Isaaman-Jones, with initial design by Joseph Bradley Hill.
Title booklets designed with Joseph Bradley Hill.

1.1 left sole: ‘My aunties smuggled their jewellery in their underwear, nailed into the soles of their shoes,
sewn into the lining of their coats’ (30 x 21 cm)
1.2 right sole: ‘My aunties smuggled their jewellery in their underwear, nailed into the soles of their shoes,
sewn into the lining of their coats’ (30 x 21 cm)
1.3 pressed flowers: ‘six beautiful dark red carnations from my lover’ (30 x 21 cm)
2.1 tear I, barbed wire: ‘The air is very clear.’ (30 x 21 cm)
2.2 tear II, letter: ‘Your old man at the helm.’ (30 x 21 cm)
2.3 tear III, parcel: ‘Those are my wishes for today.’ (30 x 21 cm)
3.1 envelope I, feeding the yarn: ‘We put the parcels together together’ (42 x 30 cm)
3.2 envelope II, dream at the window: ’The curtains would eventually be drawn’ (42 x 30 cm)
3.3 envelope III, close fold: ‘Next year I’ll do everything.’ (42 x 30 cm)
4.1 envelope IV: ’I must shorten this letter’ (84 x 42 cm)
4.2 envelope V, repaired shirt: ’I’d prefer it if you would keep an eye on buttons and holes’ (84 x 42 cm)
4.3 envelope VI, opened by censor: ’You know very well how I treasure everything’ (84 x 42 cm)