anna pinkas
one in a series of 12 diptychs
2009
Watercolors displayed on digital frame
The Bashoy is the first stage of the intricate process of marriage in the Hassid community. It often marks the first time that a young couple lays eyes on each other; it is also often the first time that either of them has been alone with someone of the opposite sex who isn’t a member of their immediate family. This series of drawings was inspired by a couple whose “first date” I witnessed at the Brooklyn Marriott. While the incongruity of the situation was unsettling, I could not help but be touched by the awkward silences, nervous tics and polite smiles that offered a human glance at a community usually so remote and mysterious to the outsider.