This place | Dodho

The complexity of Israel and the West Bank through the eyes of twelve internationally acclaimed photographers.

THIS PLACE is a monumental artistic endeavor initiated by photographer Frederic Brenner, who believes that only through the eyes of great artists can we begin to understand the complexities of Israel—its history, its geography, its inhabitants, its daily life—and the resonance it has for people around the world.

Ruth Chaya Leonov-Carmely, Nechama Weitman, Pnina Leonov, 2010

Inspired by historical models that gathered artists to ask essential questions about culture, society and individuals, including the Mission Héliographique in 19th-century France and the Farm Security Administration in the United States, Brenner first conceived the idea for the project in 2006. After seeking the advice of a group of international curators, he invited eleven acclaimed photographers to join him in exploring Israel and the West Bank as both place and metaphor.

The 12 photographers participating in This Place are Wendy Ewald, Martin Kollar, Josef Koudelka, Jungjin Lee, Gilles Peress, Fazal Sheikh, Stephen Shore, Rosalind Solomon, Thomas Struth, Jeff Wall, Nick Waplington, and Frederic Brenner himself. Together, this group represents one of the most original and distinguished collections of artists to ever collaborate on a project, and it is certainly the most acclaimed group of photographers to ever turn their attention to Israel and the West Bank.

Each photographer spent approximately six months in residence, pursuing his or her own artistic interests. Through these residencies, which stretched over four years (2009 to 2013), thousands of original art works were created. These images combine to create not a single, monolithic vision, but rather a diverse and fragmented portrait, alive with all the rifts and paradoxes of this important and highly contested place.

Now a major traveling exhibition, the show is curated by Charlotte Cotton, an internationally recognized curator and former head of the photography department at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). The first show opened in Prague at the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art in October, 2014. This Place next travels to the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. In the fall of 2015, the exhibition will come to the United States, where it will be on view at the Norton Museum of Art and close at the Brooklyn Museum of Art in February of 2016. Additional venues could be announced in the coming months.

This Place will publish a total of 13 books, including a comprehensive catalog and 12 monographs. Nine of these books have already been released, and the remaining four will be published in 2015. The books include:
– Frederic Brenner, An Archaeology of Fear and Desire (MACK)
– Wendy Ewald, This is Where I Live (MACK)
– Martin Kollar, Field Trip (MACK)
– Josef Koudelka, Wall (Aperture)
– Jungjin Lee, Unnamed Road (MACK)
– Fazal Sheikh, The Erasure Trilogy (Steidl)
– Stephen Shore, From Galilee to the Negev (Phaidon)
– Rosalind Solomon, THEM (MACK)
– Thomas Struth, Thomas Struth (MACK)
– Nick Waplington, Settlement (MACK)

This Place includes an ambitious series of public programs, including artist talks, panel discussions, school visits and programs on college campuses. Artwork and the stories behind it will be showcased through digital channels, social media and on the project website at This-Place.org, which provides an evolving body of original content, including video conversations with each of the artists, press coverage and other content.

Follow the project on Twitter (@ThisPlacePhoto), Facebook and Instagram. The project is organized by Chronicle of a People Foundation, Inc., New York. The tour is managed by Curatorial Assistance, Pasadena, California. Project Initiator: Frederic Brenner