Curator: Max Epstein
Special thanks to:
In 2019, an exhibition titled Got Out by the photographer Zeev Ben-Sender opened at the Beit Ot Hamutzar Art Gallery in Jerusalem.
This place is familiar to many Jerusalemite art lovers. For many years, it has hosted thematic exhibitions, concerts, and lectures. The historical building with the cozy inner courtyard and vaulted columns is located in one of the city's most picturesque neighborhoods. Visitors flock to the gallery primarily because of the special "Jerusalem" atmosphere that pervades its halls.
The exhibition curator, Max Epstein, is himself an artist, and this has undoubtedly affected the compositional solution of the exhibition space. The curator has been able to impart a vivid and consistent impression to the viewers. The black-and-white and color works have "blended" into the small arched spaces of the exhibition hall. And the small photographic format suggested by Epstein is a perfect "fit" for the miniature size of the gallery.
For Ben-Sender, photography is a way of life. One feels this instantly upon seeing his works. Ben-Sender's genre scenes hook the viewer with their visual rhythm, perspective, the play of light and shadow. These works give us the opportunity to relish moments of city life "captured" by his camera lens.
The "kitchen" photographs show a different side of his talent. The objects present within the frame, having been caught by the author, "reveal" the hidden life of "things" to the audience, and demonstrate his mastery of composition, which is based on the interplay of light and shadow.
Ben-Sender's black-and-white works create the possibility of a conversation with the viewer in the language of monochrome graphics. The life of the "unglamorous" urban spaces, which is normally hidden from prying eyes, is here depicted through modest, yet very expressive, means.
And finally, the landscape theme, to which the author of this article feels a particular affinity. The minimalist frame compositions, the tense color palette, the empty spaces filled with "tangy" air – all this creates a special atmosphere, inviting the viewers to "immerse" themselves in the world captured in the photograph. The palm trees waving in the strong wind, the tiny house behind the uneven fence, the black cloud advancing from beyond the horizon – these are presented by the author with great expressive power, having been filtered through his individual perception.
The album issued by the artist at the end of 2019 is mostly made up of works presented at the exhibition. The last pages display works created by the author during a trip to Italy in October 2019. These pages give us a glimpse of the future, enabling us to deduce the shape of the photographer's next event, which is scheduled for 2020.
Lilia Chak,
Researcher,
Sorbonne, Art & Science Department
