The photography series BLOCKED presets visual barriers, hiding what lies behind them, obstructing a possibility of a panoramic view. At the same time, the obstruction is not merely a violent act of concealing and blocking, but also draws attention to the little details comprising these barriers. The blocks serve as openings to a world of nuances and textures found in the places we’d least expect, or rather choose to ignore. “Despite the potential for a critical political reading of these photographs, it seems that Ishay prefers an empathic view of the difficult situation. She subtly diffuses the violent elements, bringing the discussion back to the realm of art proper, while the political potential is still in the background, like it constantly is in Israeli everyday life.
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Hagai Segev, curator of Beit Hatfuzot Museum,Tel Aviv, review section on Bromide website, April 2008