The show consists of three bodies of work. The first Nine Promises, addresses the highly-charged meaning carried by the written word Honey, Caress, Dove, Ahava and the interrelations between user and object. Through the photographic act, Raff sets out to explore the conscious and unconscious choices made by a group of women from a distinct socio-economic status, all of whom engage in acts of cleansing and purification.
The Julie Saul Gallery is pleased to announce our second solo exhibition of new work
by Orit Raff. Entitled The Pot Calling the Kettle Black, the show consists of three bodies
of work. The first Nine Promises, (close-ups of nine bars of soap) addresses the
highly-charged meaning carried by the written word Honey, Caress, Dove, Ahava
(Hebrew for love), - and the interrelations between user and object (the former
injecting the latter with traces of the human body). Through the photographic act,
Raff sets out to explore the conscious and unconscious choices made by a group of
women from a distinct socio-economic status, all of whom engage in acts of
cleansing and purification.
In the second series the preoccupation with the concept of present/absent is
discernible in the set of glove images- the most expressive, vivid group in the show.
The hands are absent from the frame, yet their presence is clearly felt. This sense
is reinforced by the signs of dirt remaining after the act of cleansing. The
preoccupation with notions of cleanliness and dirt is essential to Raff’s oeuvre. Raff’s
artistic practice revolves around a profound preoccupation with the "present-absent".
This holds true for her current and previous shows, such as her 1998 body of
photographs, which addressed the absence/presence of couplehood. Also
characterized by monochromatic color, these were close-up shots that perpetuated
the remnants of a couple’s intimate relationship: hair left in the bathtub, body
marks on the towel, the state of the toilet bowl, water drops on the sink, etc.
The final set of photographs depicting burnt pots which are clearly exhausted by
attempts to conceal the signs of scorching. The camera doesn’t lie - it presents
reality as it is, thus opening up a discussion concerning our need for cleansing
versus the signs we leave behind. The photographs call into question the
interrelations with our physical surroundings, the effect we have on all those objects
with which we interact, and the implications of our very being in their proximity.
The oscillation between two realms of artistic expression, the conceptual and the
abstract, allows the viewer a glimpse into a universe that generally remains
invisible; a world rendered present by expanding the boundaries of the medium. It
is a marginal world that is given centerstage, eliciting questions concerning human
nature and life. Raff examines our need for acts of purification, obsessive physical
cleansing, as well as their results, raising a myriad of questions: Are the signs
indeed imperceptible? Is the source of the human need for cleanness ultimately a
preoccupation with personal and general safeness, and with ensuring our physical
well being? Is all this, in fact, associated with the middle class and its long tradition
of spring-cleaning? Judging by the evidence presented to us, the result is rather
disappointing. There can be no total concealment or elimination of dirt. A wide range
of signs remains, forming a substantial body of evidence.
Her photographs compel us to confront our reflection in the mirror. Raff is aware of
the power of her subtle language and pristine technique to highlight aesthetic and
theoretical dilemmas.
Raff studied at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem, received a BFA
from the School of Visual Arts, participated in the Whitney Museum Independent
Study Program, and in 2002 will receive her MFA from Bard College. She will have a
major (second) exhibition at the Ramat Gan Museum in Israel entitled "Hunt the
Slipper" and will be included in a group exhibition at Artists Space entitled
"Multitude" curated by Lauri Firstenberg during the fall of 2002. Her work is included
in the permanent collections of The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, The Haifa
Museum of Modern Art, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, the MIT Visual Arts Center, Boston,
and the Progressive Corporation, Cleveland.
Critical text was written by Yehudith Matzkel, Independent Curator
Julie Saul Gallery
535 West 22nd Street New York