Yaacov Israel

For the past few years Yaakov Israel has been taking photographs of Kiryat Yovel – the area where he lives, as well as of other neighbourhoods with a similar character: Kiryat Menahem, Katamonim, Patt, Rommema, Nahlaot, Talpiot and Rehavia.

Yaacov Israel
A Jerusalem photographer, attached to the urban expanse of the city, the body of his work manly concentrating on the southern part of the city. The photographs in this exhibition can be divided into tow main categories: 1. The open landscape, dealing with the almost aerial mapping of complete surroundings. Buildings, yards, roads, etc. 2. Apartment buildings, mainly the rear view of typical housing blocks. Yaakov Israel’s view is one that causes pain and hurt, and I would even call it aggressive. The aggressiveness is hidden in the photographic relationship between the exposing and covering up of the surface. The surface is that of the body of the city, here the face of the southern suburbs of Jerusalem is not the expected social – political manifesto but a critical –politcal standpoint surprising in its sharpness.
(From the text accompanying the exhibition, written by Eyal Ben- Dov)