Yaakov Israel - Nili asleep, Nebi Musa, QMWD, 2010

Yaakov Israel

The Quest for the Man on the White Donkey

12/02/2013

30/03/2013

Gallery FIFTY ONE

The work of Yaakov Israel (born 1974, Israel) balances between landscape and social portraiture. The photographer explores his native country Israel patiently and only captures it when a certain sentiment unravels, either by a transformation in the landscape, or by a human encounter. The dynamic of waiting and searching characterizes his visual language. The meticulous usage of a large format camera accentuates this exceptional intensity, since it obligates the photographer to work in a perceptive manner.

Read the full press release here.

Yaakov Israel - Fence, HaBiqah, QMWD, 2006
Yaakov Israel - Fence, HaBiqah, QMWD, 2006, Archival inkjet print on Hahnemühle fine art paper
Yaakov Israel - Kalia Beach, Dead Sea, QMWD, 2006
Yaakov Israel - Kalia Beach, Dead Sea, QMWD, 2006, Archival inkjet print on Hahnemühle fine art paper, 40 x 50 cm

Yaakov Israel

The work of Yaakov Israel balances between landscape and social portraiture. The photographer explores his native country, Israel, patiently and only captures it when a certain sentiment unravels, either by a transformation in the landscape, or by a human encounter.

Initially he is inspired by the tradition of great American photographers like Joel Sternfeld and Stephen Shore, who both explored the grandness of their country. However, the major difference with these photographers is that Yaakov is bounded by the relatively limited size of Israel. No matter which region he chooses, he can always return home to Jerusalem before midnight. Although his journey was divided into various short episodes, he merged them to a consistent unity in the series ‘The Quest for the Man on the White Donkey’. As time moved on his photographs became more than just a linear reflection of his physical journey but evolved and reflected the intimate and emotional reactions evoked by the landscape.

The photographer is attracted to locations which no longer fulfill a specific function, but are nonetheless apparent in the landscape: a desolate water park, a dead end street or the remains of a military construction.

biography

Born in Jerusalem, Israel in 1974

Yaakov Israel - Nili asleep, Nebi Musa, QMWD, 2010

"As a person who takes an interest in my surroundings, I find that I return again and again to the same places and their inhabitants have become vital parts of my biography." - Yaakov Israel

Yaakov Israel - The Sea of Galilee, QMWD, 2004
Yaakov Israel - The Sea of Galilee, QMWD, 2004, Archival inkjet print on Hahnemühle fine art paper, 110 x 138 cm
Yaakov Israel - Sunshades, Ein Gedi, 2011
Yaakov Israel - Sunshades, Ein Gedi, QMWD, 2011, Archival inkjet print on Hahnemühle fine art paper, 84 x 106 cm
Yaakov Israel - The Man On The white Donkey, HaBiqah, 2006
Yaakov Israel - The Man On The white Donkey, HaBiqah, QMWD, 2006, Archival inkjet print on Hahnemühle fine art paper, 84 x 106 cm
Yaakov Israel - Swimming Pool, Northern Judean Desert, QMWD, 2011
Yaakov Israel - Swimming Pool, Northern Judean Desert, QMWD, 2011, Archival inkjet print on Hahnemühle fine art paper, 40 x 50 cm
Yaakov Israel - Sinkholes, Ein Gedi, QMWD, 2011
Yaakov Israel - Petrol Station, The Judean Desert, QMWD, 2011, Archival inkjet print on Hahnemühle fine art paper, 84 x 106 cm
Yaakov Israel - Petrol Station, The Judean Desert, QMWD, 2011
Yaakov Israel - Petrol Station, The Judean Desert, QMWD, 2011, Archival inkjet print on Hahnemühle fine art paper, 40 x 50 cm
Yaakov Israel - Morning Prayer, The Dead Sea Hilton, QMWD, 2006
Yaakov Israel - Morning Prayer, The Dead Sea Hilton, QMWD, 2006, Archival inkjet print on Hahnemühle fine art paper, 84 x 106 cm
Yaakov Israel - Be’er Sheva, QMWD, 2010
Yaakov Israel - Be’er Sheva, QMWD, 2010, Archival inkjet print on Hahnemühle fine art paper, 110 x 138 cm
Yaakov Israel - Yitzhak, The Dead Sea Hilton, QMWD, 2006
Yaakov Israel - Yitzhak, The Dead Sea Hilton, QMWD, 2006, Archival inkjet print on Hahnemühle fine art paper, 40 x 50 cm
Yaakov Israel - Abandoned Water Park, Dead Sea, QMWD, 2010
Yaakov Israel - Abandoned Water Park, Dead Sea, QMWD, 2010, Archival inkjet print on Hahnemühle fine art paper, 40 x 50 cm