Andi Schmied: Tel Aviv Grannies

 

opening: 6 september 2012, 7 p.m.

opened by: kata oltai, art historian, curator

on view: 23 august - 21 september 2012.

 

Tel Aviv at its beginning, just over a hundred years ago, was inhabited by early settlers and later a massive inflow of people – both young and old – mainly from Europe and the Middle East. Those young people are now the oldest part of the population and only 10% of them were born there.

Most of these people, because of the historical era they were living in, had very particular lives. Their youth was not all about being carefree, their adulthood was about continuous wars and adapting. They speak the common language –Hebrew– with different accents and it´s still a deep part of their identity that although they are Israelis, actually they are partly-German, partly-Yemeni, partly- Slovak or partly-Hungarian.

The “Tel Aviv Grannies” photo serial shows this elderly segment of the Israeli society. During a six-month stay in Israel, Andi decided to seek them out and find out how they go about their everyday lives. She walked the streets, visited the beaches, joined them in their play and sports activities to capture them on film.

She did not want to embellish anything. The photos show their aging - both in body and face. But it is the harshness and happiness that these faces show that is captivating.

 

Curated by: Zsuzsanna Benkő