The Tripod

This piece from the exhibit shows a lightning storm over Jerusalem. [Click to enlarge]

Photographer Joel Cantor focuses on the ultra-orthodox, like this child in Mea Sh'earim, Jerusalem (1983). [Click to enlarge]

In Princess, photographer Ilan Spira captures a simple, expressive portrait of a young girl playing dress-up. [Click to enlarge]

On Nov. 10 a new exhibit opened at the Widener Gallery entitled "the nature of dreams: Israeli Photographs." All photos in the exhibit, which also continues at Zachs Hillel House, are pieces from Yoesfa Drescher Fine Art. Drescher is an Israeli immigrant, who opened her gallery in 2005 to represent the growing Israeli photo presence. At the opening reception Monday night, she gave a talk disscusing the artists whose work is featured in the show.

The unifying theme of the show is the nationality of the photographers, not any sense of subject matter. Thus, there are a few photos that could be taken anywhere. Chief among these are India Kumba Mela by Shimon Lev and A Tree for Iris by Tamar Shir in the Widener, and a series of beautiful seascapes at Hillel, also by Lev. Shir's photo shows a tree laying on tile in front of a window. Lev's seascapes are gorgeous, especially the one of the sunset, all in reds and oranges, but there is nothing that ties it specifically to Israel.

However, even if there are a few photos that lack a sense of place, many more a firmly and clearly rooted in Israel. Chronologically, the paintings range from the founding of the Israeli state in 1948 to the present. David Rubinger and David Harris both have photos that document the early life of the state. Perhaps the most famous photo in the exhibit is Rubinger's Paratroopers at the Kotel [Western Wall], taken June 7, 1967. This was the first time that Jews had been allowed to visit the wall since the creation of the state. Harris' First Shabbat at the Kotel is in a similar vein, and taken less then a week later. My favorite Harris photo in the exhibit, though, is A Storm Over Jerusalem, on display at Hillel house. This black and white photo captures a lightning storm in the background, dominating the picture, while in the foreground, the Dome of the Rock can be seen clearly.

One of the more modern photographers, Menahem Kahana, documents the daily life in Israel, especially of the ultra-orthodox. In the Widener, four photos are displayed, all of which show orthodox Jews in Israel. First Born Son is perhaps the most abstract, when only hands on a long loaf of challah and a child on a silver platter is seen. Purim Drunks shows two orthodox men passed out, presumably after drinking too much the night before in celebration of the holiday. At Hillel House, Kahana has another series of pictures, most of which were taken in north Israel or at the Israeli-Lebanon border. My favorite is an untitled photgraph which shows a group of soldiers with a candle, presumably saying Havdallah, the ceremony to end Shabbat.

Another photographer who captures the ultra-orthodox is Joel Cantor, whose work is displayed mostly at Hillel. One photo, From Hasidism, the Trees Still Bloom shows two sets of legs behind a curtain. Another one, Mea Sh'earim, Jerusalem (1983), shows an orthodox male running down a street, presumably in the very religious neighborhood named in the title of the photograph.

Photographer Alex Livac, who won the Israel Prize in 2005, also captures daily life in Israel, although he is less focused on the religious Jews. His paintings try to show the absurdity of daily life. I especially liked the whimsical one of a pilot, walking down a street, carrying a model of an El Al plane on a stick in front of him.

Ilan Spira focuses on people. When I first saw his series of four untitled black and white photos, I assumed they were Ethiopian immigrants. However, according to Drescher, Spira tries to document illegal workers, and other people who the larger society ignores. So, while I am not entirely sure who the people are or where they come from, the pictures are striking, especially the one of a little girl in a princess costume.

The title of the show comes from a quote by Amos Oz, still the most famous Israeli author. At the end of her remarks at the opening reception, Drescher quoted, "If you compare Israel to the magnitude of its dreams, it is a disappointment. But this is not about the nature of Israel; it's about the nature of dreams. Israel is a dream come true, and as such it is destined to taste sour - because it is fufilled.

The show was curated by Fine Arts Curator Felice Caivano, Associate Professor of Fine Arts Pablo Delano, Drescher, Director of Hillel Lisa Kassow and Alyssa Simpson '10. It is open in both the Widener Gallery and Hillel until Dec. 10.

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