August 22–October 4, 2014
Opening: Friday, August 22, 6:30–8pm
Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art
College of Charleston School of the Arts
161 Calhoun Street
Charleston, SC 29401
The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston School of the Arts kicks off the fall 2014 exhibition season with two contemporary photographers: Yaakov Israel and Kathleen Robbins. The exhibitions will be on view August 22 through October 4. The opening reception on Friday, August 22, from 6:30 to 8pm, is open to the public. Mark Sloan, Director and Chief Curator at the Halsey Institute, is the curator for both exhibitions.
Mark Sloan often presents exhibitions of contemporary photography from around the world at the Halsey Institute. He believes that photographers have the unique ability to provide glimpses into other cultures, thereby providing a perfect opportunity for promoting understanding and compassion. According to Sloan, “as a liberal arts institution, the College of Charleston provides a rich backdrop for exploring the lives and lands of global citizens. This exhibition of Israel and Robbins shows how two photographers from different countries approach their subjects in similar, and complementary ways.” College of Charleston Political Science professor Mark Long has written an essay about the work of Yaakov Israel, and Duke University Professor of Documentary Studies Tom Rankin has written an essay about Kathleen Robbins’s work.
The Quest for the Man on the White Donkey by Yaakov Israel consists of images taken all over Israel. Inspired by the Orthodox Jewish tradition of the Messiah who will arrive riding on a white donkey, this ten-year photographic project features portraits and landscapes highlighting Israel’s diversity. This project is the result of Yaakov Israel’s search for a deeper understanding of his country and an attempt to relay his personal experiences on the Israeli reality with a broader sense of belonging to the global human collective.
Into the Flatland, by Kathleen Robbins, is a series of photographs documenting the land, people, and culture of the Mississippi Delta. The artist returned to her ancestral home as an adult in 2001 after completing graduate studies in New Mexico. She and her brother lived on the family farm for nearly two years, breathing life back into properties that had been long dormant.
Yaakov Israel
Yaakov Israel was born in 1974 in Jerusalem, Israel, where he lives and works. He has a BFA from the Department of Photography at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem. Since 2004 he has been teaching photography at schools and colleges in Israel. His work has been the subject of solo and group shows at museums and galleries in Israel and internationally. His photographs are in the collections of The Knesset (Israel’s house of parliament), Haifa Museum of Art, The Open Museum of Photography at Tel-Hai, and Ashdod Art Museum. His first monograph, The Quest for the Man on the White Donkey, was recently published by Schilt Publishing, Amsterdam. Yaakov Israel is represented by Fifty One Fine Art Photography, Antwerp, and Oslo 8 contemporary photography in Basel.
Yaakov Israel’s exhibition will travel nationally after its debut in Charleston, and is co-sponsored by the Consulate General of Israel with local support from the Yaschik/Arnold Jewish Studies Program at the College of Charleston.
Kathleen Robbins
Kathleen Robbins was born in Washington, DC, and raised in the Mississippi Delta. Robbins received her MFA from the University of New Mexico in 2001. Her photographs have been exhibited in galleries and museums including The New Orleans Photo Alliance, The Light Factory Museum of Contemporary Photography & Film, The Weatherspoon Museum, John Michael Kohler Art Center, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, Addison Gallery of American Art, and The Southeast Museum of Photography. Kathleen is an associate professor of art, coordinator of the photography program, and affiliate faculty of southern studies at the University of South Carolina. Her book, Into the Flatland, will be released in spring 2015 by the University of South Carolina Press.
Correlating events
Artist Lecture With Kathleen Robbins
Friday, August 22, 5:30pm
Gallery walk-through with Kathleen Robbins
Saturday, August 23, 2pm
Artist talk and reception with Yaakov Israel
Tuesday, September 9, 7pm
Members-only curator-led tour with Halsey Institute Director Mark Sloan
Thursday, October 2, 6pm
About The Halsey Institute
The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston provides a multidisciplinary laboratory for the production, presentation, interpretation, and dissemination of ideas by innovative visual artists from around the world. As a non-collecting museum, we create meaningful interactions between adventurous artists and diverse communities within a context that emphasizes the historical, social, and cultural importance of the art of our time.
Contact
Karen Ann Myers, Associate Director
Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art
College of Charleston School of the Arts
T +1 843 953 5659 / [email protected]
