Dafna Talmon

The exhibition presents acts of protest, resistance, and civil disobedience in Israel since the 1970s, connecting and contextualizing them to offer new perspectives on their social and political significance.
Viewing the images and the events they represent in sequence invites contemplation of the efficacy of protest and of the conceptual and technological shifts which occurred in photography, documentation and representation, such as the active participation of photographers in protests. The exhibition reveals photography’s increasing place as integral to acts of protest and demonstration, claiming both a communicative and consciousness-changing role for the art. Examining photographers’ modes of operation and the tools at their disposal exposes diverse artistic strategies and raises questions regarding the role and mission of the artist/photographer, and the relationship between the medium and the message.
Walter Benjamin warned against aestheticizing the political. He foresaw the mobilization of images in the service of fascism, their aesthetic influence used to mask or embellish oppressive and authoritarian mechanisms. In contrast, Benjamin called for the politicization of the aesthetic: a critical and politically aware use of art to stimulate the senses and the mind.
The photographs in the exhibition present diverse aspects of the politics and practice of protest photography, which bears witness to the limitations of freedom of expression and action. By connecting a range of viewpoints, the photographs trace the social and activist aspects of the protests they depict, revealing their visual language and the scope of their influence. At the same time, the images reflect a dissolution of solidarity and mutual responsibility in Israeli society.

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The exhibition was kindly supported by:
Lauren and Mitchell Presser
The Jerusalem Foundation
Nurith Stavy, In memory of her brother, the pilot, Major Yigal Stavy
Sara and Benjamin Glaser