Contemporary old portraits
Filed under: Art, General, History and Culture
Today marks the opening of a new photo exhibition at the Jerusalem Theatre‘s Rebecca Crown Plaza. Entitled Centenarians in Israel, the show, running through January 14, focuses on Israel’s extreme elderly.
The project has been spearheaded by Eshel, a non-profit support organization aimed at defending the rights and improving the living conditions of older people in Israel. Kicking off a year’s worth of 2009 gala events celebrating the organization’s 40th birthday, Eshel operates under the umbrella of the Israeli government and the Israeli branch of the Joint Distribution Committee.
It comes as no surprise, then, that the portraits were all photographed by Ofir Ben Natan, an in-house photographer at the Joint. Ben Natan’s work on this project is a far cry from the standard capturing of events that one might expect from an NGO staffer, effectively capturing the dignity of these weathered individuals, in the intimate settings of their living spaces, often surrounded by their most valued belongings and ordinary knickknacks. As an exploration of Israeli identity, the body of work is likewise provocative, especially since the Israelis photographed here were all at least 40 years of age when the state was born.
All in all, the exhibit covers 12 individuals, all aged 100 to 108, in 24 large prints accompanied by context-enhancing bio blurbs. For interested parties who might not be able to make it to the Jerusalem Theatre in the coming weeks, more photos from the series (but smaller, and with nothing in the way of background information) can be seen by clicking here.
Foto Friday – Hedgehogs in Tel Aviv
Israelis love hedgehogs. So much so that instead of Big Bird, the Israeli version of Sesame Street featured a large hedgehog named Kipi Kipod. This affinity makes sense because the hedgehog, like your typical Israeli sabra, is prickly on the outside, but cute and cuddly underneath. Well, at least, your typical sabra male would have you think so.
Anyway, back to the small spiny nocturnal insectivorous mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae. Photographer Yuval Chen’s exhibition Hedgehog (Kipod) opened last week at the Artists’ House in Tel Aviv. Chen spent almost two years snapping shots of hedgehogs in the urban landscape. “I was looking for them in the middle of the night, several times in a week – I found them many times on the grass in the yards of the buildings.”
Chen spends his days working as a photojournalist at daily newspaper Yedihot Aharonot. The exhibition, he says, examines nature and man, and asks whether these are opposing or collaborative forces. Chen notes that the images anthropomorphize the lives of hedgehogs dwelling in the city by contrasting them with human life, but that all of his subjects are Tel Aviv residents.
Here are a few images from the Hedgehog exhibition; more can be found at Chen’s Facebook page or at the Artists’ House where, if you’re lucky and it’s dark enough, a real hedgehog may greet you at the entrance.
Foto Friday – Israel Then and Now
Filed under: A New Reality, Foto Friday, General, History and Culture, Israeliness, Life
In honor of Israel’s 60th anniversary, the World Zionist Organization put together a traveling exhibition of holographic panels about Israeli achievements, past and future.
ISRAEL21c animated the images into a slide show, and while we can’t hope to reproduce the holograms (produced by Israeli innovator MagInk), the overlaid images still convey the powerful message about six decades of Israeli advancements in technology, healthcare, education and democracy.
Foto Friday – Holy Land
Filed under: Art, coexistence, Foto Friday, General, Religion
Photographer Guy Raivitz recently announced a new work in progress, “Holy Land”, in which he explores the three major religions that put Jerusalem and the land of Israel at their center. Each one of these photos is part of a larger series.
A Coptic nun at the door of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem. Photo: Guy Raivitz
Ravitz is interested in the internal process of worship and how it is exernalized.
‘Lag Ba’omer’ celebrations, Mt. Meron northern Israel. Photo: Guy Raivitz
Muslim man praying near Temple mount, Jerusalem. Photo: Guy Raivitz
He is respectful of his subjects, always bearing in mind that what they are doing is not for show. To see more of “Holy Land”, visit Guy’s website.
Foto Friday – White Nights with Tiranit Barzilay Cohen
Filed under: Art, Foto Friday, General, Israeliness, Life, Pop Culture
Last night was the first in Tel Aviv’s summer series of “White Night” events – all night happenings featuring outdoor concerts on Rothschild Boulevard and on the beach, discounts at restaurants and cafes, performances, and more.
There was also an opening, at the Sommer Contemporary Art gallery of photographer Tiranit Barzilay Cohen’s latest work – her first show in a decade. Barzilay photographs her subjects using minimal direction and set against a white studio background, to explore existential themes: life, death and the human condition.
The full exhibit may be viewed online at the gallery website.
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