Exhibition review - The Invisible Burden. An Artistic Dialogue on Transgenerational Trauma (The Contemporary Art Gallery Subotica, June 8 – July 20, 2024)
Transgenerational trauma is not a new phenomenon. The recognition, perception, and understanding of this phenomenon, however, date back to the relatively recent past: the late 1960s in Canada. During that period of time, there was a noticeable increase in requests for psychological assistance from relatively young individuals whose parents had survived the Holocaust. Although these individuals did not directly experience the trauma themselves, its effects were evident in their lives, becoming internalized and passed on to the next generation. Since then, psychology and related fields have been exploring patterns in the transmission of transgenerational trauma, viewing it as the formation of inner reality and its expression across multiple generations, stemming from the original trauma experienced by an ancestor or close relative. Trapped in the cycle of transgenerational trauma, entire social groups continuously reenact the past, which hinders the present from being a secure space. Burdened by inherited trauma, individuals are deprived of the opportunity to develop their authentic voices and provide their perspectives on various aspects of the world and the society they are part of.
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