Osnat Bar-Or

Promised Land

The series Promised Land  was photographed in my daily environment. I photograph the land under my feet and objects that were left behind. The work captures neglect, abandonment, loss, violence and abuse, in both their material form and their metaphorical hint of feminist, environmental and political concerns. The images are cultural reflections of exposed and vulnerable life experiences, stripped of shelter, stability and confidence, exposed to violent forces. The 'Promised Land' has turned out to be an aggressive and violent place. The capitalist dream of endless possibilities collapses into a reality with no alternatives. The surface of the land is scratched with forces that oppress and neuter.  And yet, I hope, the photographs reveal also a kind of hope and beauty, of other possibilities embedded in our reality, a potential for sustainable, creative and fertile life.

Bio

Osnat Bar-Or is an artist, activist and educator, living in Israel. She exhibited her photographs in museums and galleries in many solo and group exhibitions in Israel, Canada and Palestinian Authority, among other. Osnat co-directed two organizations that cultivated community and civil practices of art. She initiated and run community and political art projects. Osnat teaches art, interwoven with issues of identity, multicultural society and social justice in academic institutions in Israel.