Ajami, The Face of Darkness

Yaakov Elad ventured into the Jaffa neighborhood of Ajami with an open mind and an open lens. His goal was to capture the jumbled neighborhood in an attempt to understand and hopefully bridge the disparities that exist there. This photography exhibit in the Eretz Israel Museum plays with light sources, displaying Elad’s findings in regards to the binaries of Ajami. For instance, an image of ugly plastic chairs and shutters appears next to a photograph of a stylized staircase. Yaakov Elad looks at the neighborhood at eye level. He sees the full spectrum among the spots of light and darkness, and at the same time follows his own face as photographer.