Part of Edition365 – a major digital exhibition and NFT drop – Rebeca Binda’s image is an act of remembrance, prompted by the inability to visit her ageing grandparents during the pandemic
Rebeca Binda’s grandfather, Angelo Carlos Binda, was born in Itaguaçú, Brazil, on 30 May 1925. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020, then-95 year old Angelo – who suffered from memory loss – couldn’t grasp why his family had stopped visiting him. “He kept asking my grandma why suddenly everyone didn’t love them anymore. He couldn’t understand why his family stopped caring about them, to the point where no one would even stop by to pay them a visit,” Binda recalls.
In response to this inability to visit her ageing grandparents, Binda embarked on a new project, Ageing in Place. Informed by her family history and archive, and the intimate moments she shared with her grandparents, the project ruminates on memory, ageing, love, and loss. One of the images from the series – a tender depiction of Binda’s grandfather’s hands, collaged with a note written by his father – is now included in Edition365, an immersive virtual exhibition of 365 works documenting the events between 11 March 2020 and 10 March 2021. The image is also available to buy as an NFT via ART3.io on OpenSea.
“Not being able to comfort and cheer up my grandparents in person was one of the toughest experiences I have ever lived through… Seeing them struggle, and not being able to offer them a helping hand or show them love, broke my heart,” says Binda. “Making this work made me closer to them than I ever was before.”
The image was made in December 2020, on Binda’s grandparents’ 70th wedding anniversary. “It’s mad to say, but it felt like somehow I knew it was going to be the last time I would see him,” she says. Five months later, on 04 May 2021, her grandfather passed away. “This project is an expression of love and remembrance,” Binda reflects. “I want it to show how important it is to cherish your loved ones. Your memory can fade away, your birthplace can suddenly be unreachable, but the relationships you build are the anchors that keep you grounded and remind you of who you really are.”
Rebeca Binda’s image is included in Edition365, an immersive virtual exhibition of 365 works documenting the events between 11 March 2020 and 10 March 2021.
The image is also available to buy as an NFT via ART3.io on OpenSea.