Ori Gersht
dal 7/10/2004 al 20/11/2004
Segnalato da
7/10/2004
Ori Gersht
Andrew Mummery Gallery, London
Gersht will present two new bodies of photographic work, Ghost and Blaze. Ghost, was photographed in ancient olive plantations in the region of Galilee in Israel. Each photograph is a representation of a single tree, investigated in its own and detailed individuality. The second series, Blaze, depicts the tormented territories of the Israeli landscape. In these works, Gersht went a step further and turned the camera toward the sun aiming to confront the source of life and to capture the essence of light itself.
Blaze
The Andrew Mummery Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of a solo show by Ori Gersht. Gersht will present two new bodies of photographic work, Ghost and Blaze.
Ghost, was photographed in ancient olive plantations in the region of Galilee in Israel. Each photograph is a representation of a single tree, investigated in its own and detailed individuality. These iconic images are both portraits of trees and an account of time in which history is conceived. In the Mediterranean the olive trees are loaded with religious and cultural meanings, they symbolize the bond between the farmer, his ancestors and the land. For that reason they are at the forefront of the current Israeli - Palestinian territorial disputes.
The photographs were taken in midday, when the bright and bleaching sun was hovering in mid sky. The film was over exposed by many stops, allowing the harsh and violent light to attack the film and melt the images of the trees. Later in the darkroom Gersht attempted to rescue the traces from the over exposed, and therefore dense, negatives. In contrast to the violent and destructive act of exposure the images that appeared on the paper were frail, delicate and gentle.
Despite the contemporary use of material, conventional processes and the direct approach, the results escape the concrete photographic sense of the here and now. The ghostly appearance of the images recedes beyond the particularity of time and place. These images are an attempt to create a subtle tension between formal beauty and political violence.
The second series, Blaze, depicts the tormented territories of the Israeli landscape. In these works, Gersht went a step further and turned the camera toward the sun aiming to confront the source of life and to capture the essence of light itself. During the summer, the blazing sun bleaches all colours and strips the landscape of its nuances and subtleties. Like in Ghost, these images were over exposed by many stops, allowing the sun to attack the film and leave its mark. Surprisingly the bright sun did not bleach out; on the contrary, it branded its bright, iconic circular orange disc on the film. These burnt and distorted landscapes escape the specificity of place or time. Instead they are attempting to capture the primordial essence of the land and in doing so to create a dialogue between temporal events and timelessness.
open Wed-Sat, 12-6pm
Private View: Saturday 16 October, 6-9pm
for Frieze Art Fair, 11-18 October, gallery open 12-8pm & by appointment
Image: Ori Gersht "Blaze 2" c print mounted on aluminium.
Edition of 6. 150 x 120 cm
Andrew Mummery Gallery
Studio 1.04 - Tea Building
56 Shoreditch High Street (Entrance is on Bethnal Green Road)
London E1 6JJ