Open Triangles

‘There are small things in the Orthodox world that breathe silently. We did not open up. We created from a sense of reduction’…

This spring, Omer Tiroche Contemporary Art (Jaffa) is proud to present Open Triangles, an exciting new photography exhibition. Curated by Iris Pshedezki and Gili Zaidman, the exhibition is part of the annual Israel Photography Festival. As the result of a collaboration between Orthodox female artists and non-religious female curators, the show unveils a world previously unseen by outsiders.

Having completed their studies at the OMAN center of visual art for Orthodox women, four of the graduates were invited to participate in the project, and encouraged to work within an exact framework, society and medium. The title of the show uses the visual metaphor of a National-Religious Jewish woman’s headdress (tied with an ‘open triangle’ at the back of the head), contrasted with the precise wrapping favored by Orthodox women. This idea of a quiet yet strongly expressed identity is a recurring theme throughout the exhibition, hinting at both internal and external nuances of personal definition.

The photographs are beautiful glimpses into the lives of these women: the nature walks and city strolls; the games in playgrounds and conversations in living rooms; the yearnings and the absences. As we look through the camera lens of each artist, we find ourselves momentarily on the inside of a different community, listening to a still small voice speaking out from images of silent encounters.