Opening Reception for a new exhibition of photographs

Join us this Sunday, July 18 3-5 PM for an opening reception for the exhibition Seder.Table, a series of photographs by Galia Gur Zeev.

In this one-person exhibition, artist Galia Gur Zeev presents two series of photographs exploring family gatherings around the dining table, which join together to form a single show. The series Table consists of a wall piece depicting the diners around the table from a bird's-eye view; the series Seder is an elaboration of the former. In both series the table is nonexistent, and the meal did not really take place. In both, the relevant information emerges from the black.

The Passover Seder is one of the most important festive meals in Jewish tradition. This gathering rearranges the family unit each meal anew, demanding "stocktaking" of the family members, a routine, familiar and comforting ritual carried out from one meal to the next. A great deal of tension, excitement, joy and sadness come together in this occasion. The meeting around the table maps out the present and the absent; the change of roles in the soldier family, as well as those aspects which are an integral part of life, such as the figure, which places the family in Israel, reflecting a reality of constant anxiety.

Gur Zeev's photographs address a person's relationships with oneself, one's body, and one's family, portraying a universe centered on the home and family. While she portrays her own family, they always keep a certain distance, looking into the camera lens as if they were signifiers of the general concept of family.

For more information about the artist please visit her website at www.galiagurzeev.com

image: Seder, 2002, Galia Gur Zeev