Roslyn Cohen
Artist's Statement
I grew up surrounded by stories of places and cultures that no longer exist. I was brought up on stories from my father an Iraqi jew, my mother a European jew and stories in Skokie, a city with the largest percentage of holocaust survivors. Being a product of these cultures made me realize how ephemeral everything I took for granted is. Rather than mourn the loss I began to document and work towards an nterpretation of current social conditions. The act of taking a photograph starts the process of nostalgia, the shutter is pressed and the moment is gone.
Throughout my time at The Richard Stromberg Chicago School of Photography, I was encouraged to take the pictures I wanted and began to feel more comfortable with my editing decisions. I want the viewer to be drawn into the photo for the formal qualities but then to be intrigued enough by the subject to want to understand more.
The following series of photographs document a recent visit to Israel. I spent time in the two major cities, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Two cities about an hour drive from each other but with extremely different, populations and cultures.
Jerusalem is the elder city of a tiny nation, the ancient city of King David, Herod, the object of the crusades and the home of the western wall and dome of the rock. A city with a mix of ancient religions and customs from biblical times, Jewish, Druid, Samaritan, Armenian and Muslim to name a few. There are spaces and moments, where they seem to exist in harmony, monks in robes brush against modest islamic women. But there is always an awareness of the possibility of violence, heated clashes between Israeli jews and Palestinian Arabs over land rights, water rights and it goes on.
Tel Aviv may as well be another country, a coastal town known as 'the city that never sleeps'. A blend of Bauhaus architecture, bars, sidewalk cafe's, art and fashion. An international hotspot proud to be young, cosmopolitan and for the most part secular.
It would be impossible for anyone to fully represent the complexity and richness of Israel in six photographs. I offer these photos as a glimpse into a tiny country and a diverse people. I hope they introduce you to the complexity and richness of Israel.
