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Life As We Know It

    an investigative photo documentary

Exclusive 21-page photo essay from our investigative journalist team in collaboration with award-winning photojournalist Nir Kafri. Location: Tel Aviv, Israel Copyright Wondereur 2023.

MEET with artist Noga Shlomi curated by internationally acclaimed artist Sigalit Landau.

Cover shlomi
1
“WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU HAVE A FLAT TIRE AND YOU’RE SUDDENLY STUCK ON THE ROAD?”
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“You’re in a place that you’re not supposed to be in – it’s a place for cars, not for you. Everything feels out of proportion.”
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“When you’re at home, everything is perfectly sized to you, the space is designed for you.”
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“WHEN YOU’RE GOING THROUGH AN UNFAMILIAR EXPERIENCE, SOMETHING HAPPENS TO TIME AND SPACE.”
5
“At some point, a lot of people were doing post-apocalyptic art, trying to describe life after a disaster. But I find that what happens in real life is different. There are all these moments of waiting that I find fascinating.”
6
“IN FACT, LIFE AFTER A DISASTER LOOKS LIKE REGULAR LIFE. IT’S HARD TO ACCEPT.”
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“I THINK TRAGEDY IS ALWAYS IMMINENT.”
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“Bad things happen to everyone. It’s universal. You're born, you love, you lose the people you love, you get your heart broken, and then it's just life.”
10
“I’M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE BEAUTY IN IT.”
11
“When my father was dealing with cancer, he used to say, ‘If it wasn't my health, if it wasn't my life, it would be a very interesting problem.’”
12
“DISASTERS ACT ON US IN THIS WEIRD WAY. THEY COMPRESS A LOT OF ISSUES IN A VERY SHORT TIME.”
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“I LIVED IN A COMMUNE IN BEERSHEVA, A JEWISH-ARAB PROJECT WHEN I WAS 18.”
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“There were a lot of workshops and intense discussions. We studied together and worked together in Arab schools, in unrecognized Bedouin villages, and also in Jewish schools. And then I went to the army, in which I was a tour guide in the Golan Heights. It’s not a well-known army job but a lot of people are sent to work with the Society for the Protection of Nature and work on ecological projects.”
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“THAT’S WHEN I STARTED TO REALLY BE INTERESTED IN HOW WE CAN BRIDGE DISTANCES AND POINTS OF VIEW.”
16
“Some spaces really hold distance, like these Internet cafés in South Tel Aviv. Many African asylum seekers live in the area. It’s a complex political situation but what struck me in these cafés is the distance that separates these people from their families.”
17
“You can also look at the rituals around mourning as a way to bridge the distance between people. Women cook and talk and it can be very annoying, but it’s a loving process too.”
18
“A lot of my projects start from personal memories of places and moments that changed me.”
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“I USE ART TO ASK QUESTIONS AND GET AN ANSWER FROM IT. IT’S A THINKING PROCESS.”