When you look into the light, all you see are shadows
December 2014 through February 2015, at Centre[3], Hamilton, Ontario
Materials
Printed contrasted photographs, Melded thread and printed transparencies.
Concept
This exhibition was part of a project I started after my move to Canada from Israel in November 2003. Before that I had lived most of my life in the city where I was born, where my father was born before me in the house my grandfather built.
Moving to a new country, with a different culture and language, is a life-changing experience.
Since my arrival in Canada I have used my art to express longing for my family and country of origin. I have explored the sense of not belonging, of being uprooted and trying to grow new roots and new connections. It is an ongoing journey of changing identity from Israeli to an Israeli who is also Canadian.
To connect with my new environment, I collected regular items such as subway tickets or exhibition brochures. Often I would photograph nature or take images from both countries and try to connect them to create the hybrid creature I have become.
Scattered flat black fragments of memory, holding my childhood, the sun, a place, culture, seasons, scents, textures and tastes. The bare minimum holding the maximum. Fragmentation holding together, but barely.
The contrasted black and white images caused by the strong Israeli light invite a dialogue contrasted with the Canadian scenery we see now outside. Both create similar outcomes despite the different temperatures.
These prints evolved from photographs I took during my last visit to Israel in December 2014. This is what I saw when I looked to the sky searching for answers from such familiar outlines. Perhaps they are meaningless to you but for me they hold particular locations, interactions and memories. They represent a certain aspect of my sense of what home is.
What do you see when you look up?
What are the outlines of your memories?
What is home for you?