Israel: In this Land / Zed Nelson
View Thumbnail Gallery / Enlarge
Invalid Displayed Gallery
The project investigates the psyche of a nation trapped in a conflict deeply rooted in a struggle for occupation and possession of land. Travelling the complete land and sea border of the country, it explores the notion that Israel is a nation defined by its borders.
A memory of the long history of Jewish exile and persecution and the short turbulent history of the Jewish state is a necessary compass to its current psyche. One of its most acute problems is precisely the way its past weighs upon – and informs – its future. Gripped in a violent, blood-soaked reality, modern Israelis live with a siege mentality.
Each new Israeli settlement constructed on Palestinian land cements years of conflict to come. Each new violent act – committed by either a Palestinian Arab or an Israeli Jew – pushes the hope of a resolution ever further out of reach. Israel’s preoccupation with security and its sense of isolation, continues to thwart its ability to reinvent itself and emerge from the shadows of its past
Portfolio
About Zed
“The visual ‘language’ of my images is about integrity and connection with the subject. The images should feel ‘true’...real...genuine… Working with a good Art Director is a huge plus, paving the way for a creative and structured collaboration in the image-making process.”
Zed’s work is known and recognised around the world. Coming to prominence with the seminal ‘Gun Nation’, which won five major international photography prizes, he has consistently produced work that makes us reflect and wonder.
(To read more about Zed Nelson, see Who we are)