Photo By Gail

Zoe Buckman (b. 1985) weaves together stories of friendship, trauma, and resilience in multidisciplinary works that explore the undercurrents of women’s lives. The artist uses a range of materials, many related to sewing and textile traditions, historically executed by women in their homes.

In the scene depicted in In Full Command of Every Plan You Wrecked (2024) — both tender and unsettling — loose threads drip like blood from the female figure, at once an allusion to violence and a clever reversal of typical embroidery practices that neatly conceal those loose threads on the back of the textile. The work draws its title from the lyrics of the song “Alexandra Leaving” by the iconic Jewish singer, songwriter and poet Leonard Cohen, underscoring the forsaken and the forgotten.

Photographed in the Jewish Museum in Manhattan.