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Negative and Narrative: The Photographic Story of the White City

21.11.24-4.1.25

The exhibition explores how photography has shaped the image of Tel Aviv's White City, emphasizing its crucial role in preserving the city's International Style architecture.
These photographs not only captured the buildings themselves but also contributed to the declaration of the White City area as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site.
Titled "Negative & Narrative: The Photographic Story of the White City," this exhibition marks 40 years since the important exhibition at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art in 1984 (curated by Prof. Micha Levin), which was the first to shine a spotlight on the "White City" buildings.

The exhibition focuses on the "White City photographers," whose work spans from the 1930s to the present. It examines how each photographer's unique style has both reflected and responded to the city's International Style architecture over the years. Through the works of iconic photographers such as Itzhak Kalter, Judith Turner, Irmel Kamp, Yigal Gawze, and Günther Förg, we can see how the architectural approach to the city has changed and been preserved, as well as the impact of these photographs in creating the visual and cultural narrative of the White City.

The exhibition highlights how photography served as a powerful tool in documenting architectural movements, influenced public perception, and ultimately led to global recognition. Moreover, the exhibition raises questions about the role of photography in shaping architectural identity and memory. It demonstrates the ongoing influence of these visual archives on how we view and preserve modernist architecture today.
During the curatorial work on the exhibition, and from a perspective of decades, it became apparent that some photographers took a more documentary and often critical approach. In contrast, others adopted a more artistic approach, focusing on the interior and exterior details of the buildings.
Twenty years after celebrating its declaration as a World Cultural Heritage Site, the White City continues to change, now with awareness of its importance. This exhibition offers a timely reflection on how the city's architectural heritage continues to inspire photographers and resonate further. The works presented in the exhibition celebrate the aesthetics of the International Style and capture the ongoing dialogue between past and present, offering a changing perspective on the preservation and transformation of urban landscapes.

Curator: Arch. Limor Yossifon Goldman
Artistic director, Liebling Haus: Shira Levy Benyamini
Exhibition Initiative and Concept: Yigal Gawze
Graphic design: Avisar Goldman
Exhibition design: Arch. Limor Yossifon Goldman
Production and setup: Arch. Limor Yossifon Goldman, Avigail Paytan, Liav Levy
Translation: Sivan Raveh
Photography and video editing: Noa Simhayof Shahaf


We thank all the contributors who made this exhibition possible: Prof. Micha Levin, Tel Aviv Museum of Art; Mira Lapidot, Sophia Berry Lifschitz, Neill McManus, Shira Landau, Maya Vinitsky and Efrat Levy, The Association of Engineers, Architects and Academics in Israel, the Bauhaus Museum: Estee Cohen, Yuval Etgar, and the Luxembourg family, the International Archive of Günther Förg: Michael Neff and Victor Merkel, Thomas Fischer Gallery, Irmel Kamp-Bandau, Haim Maimon, Arch. Otto Pagels, Nitza Metzger-Szmuk, Esther Zandberg, and the entire team at the Liebling House.

Images:
© Irmel Kamp
© Yigal Gawze
© Estate Günther Förg, Suisse / Private collection, courtesy of the Bauhaus Foundation
© Kalter Collection, Association of Engineers, Architects and Academics in Technological Professions in Israel, Tel Aviv Museum of Art
Judith Turner, courtesy of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art

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