For more than 40 years, Nino Herman has been documenting the human face of Israel. Herman began his career as a freelance press photographer. He later became a government photographer at the Prime Minister’s office, a post he left to become the photography editor for the news desk of the Israeli paper Maariv. These early photographs show the beginning of Herman’s steady dedication to his subjects: Whether immigrant children just arriving in Israel or the Prime Minister surrounded by the political arena, all of Herman’s subjects are presented as people of equal importance, with stories to tell.
The title, BaMakom, is translated from Hebrew to mean “in place.” In Hebrew, makom is one of many words used to refer to G-d, connoting the space and place of the whole universe. In Herman’s work there is equal balance and respect paid to all experiences captured by his camera. As viewers we can sense his deep appreciation and affection for both the urban and natural landscapes, the everyday scene at a café, as well as the ceremonial moments of nations and leaders. Following Israel’s social protests in the summer of 2011, Herman turned his lens to the neighborhoods of south Tel Aviv. These images reveal his focus on the existential circumstances of ordinary people, their daily lives and feelings, and the relationships they form with one another.
At the age of two, Nino Herman contracted polio and has since experienced physical paralysis. But, as Herman says, he “chose for myself freedom of movement. I believe there is nothing that limits us, other than our own beliefs and ways of thinking. I express this in art, in images, in writing, in speech, and in my way of life. Through all these means of expression, my outward observation has been fashioned — toward the street, toward the social and public arena.”
—Megan Whitman, Director, Lambert Center for Arts+Ideas, JCC Manhattan
Unframed prints of the artist’s work (priced at $400-$450) are available for order. Contact
hsanders@marinjcc.org for further information.