The Presence of Absence

When a doorbell changes everything: the story of the Gold Star Families and their moving fight back to life

The Presence of Absence, a decade-long documentary, explores trauma, loss, grief, mourning, and healing after war. Inbal Abergil combines stories of Gold Star Families, still lifes of loved ones’ belongings, and portraits of Casualty Notification Officers. The still lifes show how survivors cope with loss, highlighting the dual pain and comfort of memories. The portraits depict the grim task of delivering tragic news, aiming for no mistakes to allow healing. The Four-channel video features four Gold Star Mothers discussing life after losing their sons, offering grief coping guidelines. The project invites reflection on the survivors’ journey to rebuild their lives and the human cost of conflict.

Inbal Abergil is a New York-based documentary artist and educator, originally from Jerusalem and of North African descent. Her practice focuses on the aftermath of war and the human cost of conflict.

Her work has been exhibited internationally in museums and galleries, such as The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, The Nathan Cummings Foundation, NYC, and Aperture Gallery, NYC. Abergil’s work is in numerous permanent collections and has been published widely. She received her M.F.A. in Visual Arts from Columbia University and her B.F.A. with honors from the Midrasha School of Art, Israel. In addition to her studio practice, Abergil is an Associate Professor of Photography at Pace University in New York City.