Rami Zeevi grew up in Africa and spent his formative years travelling the Kenyan savanna, experiencing the coexistence he saw there between the local communities and their surrounding wildlife and documenting it. Later, Zeevi continued to photograph the landscapes of his youth, capturing the urbanization and industrialization processes in the continent and the gradual disappearance of wild animals. In this exhibition, Zeevi presents two photographs from two different eras and offers a historic meeting point between the Africa of his youth and that of the present. His early photograph of the savanna is printed on threads using an original method developed by him. The choice of material is not coincidental, as the organic matter and the manual printing method intertwine with the subject matter. Juxtaposed with the image of the savanna is a photograph of a bustling marketplace in which the construction of a large-scale modern building can be seen in the background. This work is printed on a thin concrete surface, a material which emphasizes the new building methods being used now and the dotting of the barren landscape with countless residential neighborhoods. Viewers of this installation find themselves at a metaphorical crossroad between pre-industrialized Africa and the contemporary one. Zeevi’s concern for the environment is evident in his social activism as well, as he is often involved in projects for the preservation of wilderness in Israel and Kenya.
Installation Photos: Michael Shvadron
Artist:
Rami Zeevi
Curator:
Daria Kaufmann
