Orit Siman-Tov

(Israel, b. 1971)

Hyatt Hotel, Israel, 1996/97

Mount Hermon, Israel, 1996/97

In her Leisure Time in Israel series, Orit Siman-Tov explores contemporary Israeli life as seen through public leisure sites and their inhabitants. Each of these sites is stripped of its cultural and natural landscape and designed for a universal feel. However, in each of Siman-Tov’s pictures, there are traces of Israel, particularly around the edges of the frame. People lounge by a pool in the desert, or enjoy ski slopes that are identifiable through signage in Hebrew as those Mt. Hermon, Israel’s only ski resort. These safe, relaxing activities also create a tension in these images, in so far as they contrast with the images of armed conflict and political strife that the Western media more commonly show of the region.

View all works by Orit Siman-Tov in our collection.

Siman-Tov at Catherine Edelman Gallery

Siman-Tov in the 2005 MoCP exhibition Manufactured Self