We caught up with Dwora Fried, creator of the beautiful Boxed In exhibition, currently showing at Woolfson & Tay in East London.

“Boxed In is the most autobiographical exhibit I've had so far,” she said. “There are 18 boxes containing bits and pieces of my life as a jewish/ austrian/ american child of a holocaust survivor.”

We asked where she found all the lovely pieces of memorabilia inside the boxes. “I love rummaging through flea markets or garage sales - that's what we call it in Los Angeles, when people sell their old stuff in their drive ways,” she said.

She takes a delight in the mystery of where each item has come from. “Toys from the early forties... who did they belong to? What happened to the children?” she says.

Meanwhile the majority of the images have a more personal significance for her. “Most of the images I use are old photographs I took over the years or some I found in my mom's dresser in Vienna,” she said.

Dwora tells us she was born in Vienna, Austria, and went to school there. She moved to Israel after High School and studied art history and art at Tel Aviv University and Avni Institute Of Art.

Fried has been living in Los Angeles for the last 30 years with her wife and two children. She also has two older children, who were born in Israel when she was previously married to a man.

We asked her to select a box that spoke to her the most. “My favorite piece is one that sold on opening night, it's called Telephones (see below) and it's a family assemblage featuring my grandmother, my mother and myself with the type of telephone we each used in our generation.”

“I hope many people will see the exhibit, it is always exciting to show your work in a new country.”

Further information: 

Boxed In runs until 31 August at Woolfson & Tay bookshop, 12 Bermondsey Square. All boxes are for sale (£350).

www.dworafried.com

www.woolfsonandtay.com