THOMAS STRUTH │ Marian Goodman Gallery, London → 6 June 2015

Basilica of the Annunciation, Nazareth, 2014

City Hall, Tel Aviv, 2011

Z-Pinch Plasma Lab, Weizmann Institute, Rehovot, 2011

Detail from Har Homa, east Jerusalem, 2009

Off Al-Shuhada Street 1, Al-Khalil/Hebron, 2009

The Faez Family, Rehovot, 2009

“Marı̣n Gdmn z plizd t priznt an xibišn v ny wrc bî Tomās Strūt, hiz frst šo in Lundn sns ɖ 2011 retṛspctv at ɖ Ẇîtčapl Gaḷri.

Ɖs xibišn wl priznt wrcs md in ɖ contxt v tu dfṛnt rīsnt projcts, ẇč r gtñ inṭwovn hir fr ɖ frst tîm: Fôtgrafs h md in Izrel n Paḷstîn az pāt v Ɖs Plês, n v plêsz v sạntific n tecṇlojcl rsrč in Califwňa.

Strūt travld t Izrel n Paḷstîn six tîmz btwn 2009 n 2014 n wrct in Īst Jrūsḷm, Teḷviv, ɖ Gôln Hîts, Ṛmala, Al–Cālil/Hebron, Nazṛʈ n ɖ Negev. Hiz vizits wr infwmd bî lisnñ t ɖ stwriz v hiz gîdz n uɖr ppl h met alñ ɖ we, mî xpḷrešnz wr abt obzrvñ ɖ hymn drama n ẇt sīmd t tuč m most. In esns, it wz abt ɖ rīdñ v ɖ signifîrz n ɖ pictwrı̣l psbltiz v ɖ plês. N, in iskwñ ɖ c̣losl fr ɖ prsnl, Strūt set hmslf ɖ čalinj v hâ t cndns an epc naṛtv intu a stil imij.

Strūt wz awer, fṛm ɖ vri bginñ, v ɖ inhiṛnt conflicts n obstclz in apročñ sč a ṗlitcli lêdn rījn az a subjct, n h comentd, az an ātist hu hz olwz bn ṗlitcli conšs n intṛstd in ɖ ōgnîzešn v ssayti, I wz nt šr ẇt it ment t wrc in a conflictzôn, or f y cn d justis t it at ol…moṛl n eʈicl qesčnz r impsbl t avýd; y hv t acnolij sošl n ṗlitcl injustisz in ɖs eria… So, rɖr ɖn asym a slf-ōdend rôl az moṛl ābitr, Strūt atmts t repriznt ẇt h refŕz t az a pātcl v ɖ conflict v ɖ rījn.

Silwan, Īst Jrūsḷm z embḷmatc v Strūt’s wrc in Izrel n Paḷstîn. Ẇl it z xiktd wɖ hiz mtikḷs î, h rmend ôpn t ɖ seṛndipti v ɖ mmnt, ačivñ a wrc h dscrîbz az a pwtrit, rɖr ɖn a landscep, y cn onli lc at a landscep az a ptnšl lcešn fr hymn xpirı̣ns… a landscep dz’nt nīd m, y or enbdi. It bcmz intṛstñ f it cn b ɖ grândplan fr hymn xpirı̣ns, pṛjẋn or dzîr.

Fr Strūt, ɖ act v jrniyñ n siyñ ẇn scâtñ fr lcešnz z crūšl. H cmbînz a prsnl anaḷsis v an instñtv sens n naṛtv v a plês wɖ a fwml toṗlojcl vy, t criet a comṗzišn ɖt ilūsidets smʈñ revletri.

In ɖ end, I strîv t mc picčrz ɖt r arstñ, ɖt y hv t cīp lcñ at. Hômi Bābā sd smʈñ ɖt reznetd wɖ m. H wz twcñ abt wrcs v āt ɖt y cnt fgt bt d’nt rmmbr in dītel. Ɖ drîv t nt fgt imrjz ẇn ɖ ātwrc tučz yr cor, ẇn it hz a sentṛl naṛtv ɖt z undrstd jenṛli ʈru its spesfisti. Y cnt fgt it bcz y cnt manij t cmplitli ‘un-puzl’ it. Y cnt rmmbr its dītelz bcz ɖ inet comṗzišn v ol its eḷmnts dz nt fŭli dscloz ɖ intîṛti v its naṛtv, n ɖus cīps y puzld.

Sm v ɖ Izrel n Paḷstîn imijz rcwl Strūt’s ŕli intṛst in strītftogṛfi, studiyñ ɖ ŕbn landscep n ācitecčr v Yṛp, Nwʈ America n Eža, caṛctrîzd bî dīp, distnt pspctvz, loñ vyz n nolij v plês. Hvr, ɖ sînz n remnnts v conflict n dvižn r stil evidnt hir n iniscepbl wɖn ɖ Izreli n Paḷstiňn landscep, māct bî bḷcedd rôdz, metl n concrīt barı̣rz n impasbl landsceps.

Olso includd wɖn ɖ xibišn r tu famlīpwtrits, a trôp Strūt hz wrct wɖ sns ŕli on in hiz practis. Tîtld fṛm ɖ dpictd famliz’ nemz n lcešnz in Izrel, Ɖ Abu Bilaia Bruɖrz v ɖ Azazma Trîb, Negev, 2011 n Ɖ Faez Famli, Rehovot, 2009, dpict tu culčṛli dvrjnt famlīynits. Ɖ 7 Beduin bruɖrz n ɖer gest, êt men v vẹriyñ êjz, sitñ cros-legid or nīlñ on tṛdišnli patnd rugz wɖn a modist metl-fremd strucčr cuvrd bî a siriz v mytd moṇcrom tāpwlinz, ɖt z cntrastd wɖ ɖ brîtli culrd txtîlz upn ẇč ɖ men sit.

In contrast, Ɖ Faez Famli, Rehovot dpicts ɖ cros-jeṇrešnl membrz v a yuñ famli, pzišnd on ɖ fruntpwč v ɖer modn hom. Fr Strūt, ɖs imij holdz mni intṛstñ eḷmnts, …ɖ plant on ɖ left coṛspondz wɖ ɖ crv v ɖ bodi v ɖ secnd eldist dwtr; ɖ muɖr n hr yuñ dwtr r imbresñ, n ɖ tu eldist dwtrz bracit ɖ famli in a trîanğlr sičuešn. I fând it vri intṛstñ t si ɖ mdaḷti v ɖ dwtrz, in rlešn t ɖer peṛnts bt olso wɖ ɖer slîtli Wesṭnîzd cloɖñ, n ɖt wɖn wn famli, culčr grajli trnzišnz, f nt ɖ famli z in constnt trnzišn.

It z impwtnt t nôt in ɖz Izrel/Paḷstîn fôtgrafs, ɖt Strūt hz brôcn awe fṛm hiz prîr we v mcñ wrc wɖn a set dfînd siriz. Ẇraz prīvı̣sli, h wd têc wn trôp, pwtričr or landscep fr xampl, n mc imijz at vẹriyñ glôbl lcešnz, wɖn ɖs sṗsific bodi v wrc, Strūt hz fôc̣st on wn prisîs ʈīm, jı̣graficl n ṗlitcl riaḷti ɖt incumṗsz ol ɖ trôps fṛm ɖ siriz, az ɖo Izrel n Paḷstîn fr ɖ ātist wr a jı̣graficl cntenr fr ɖ scôp v ɖ hymn cndišn.

Ɖr r olso six ny wrcs prizntd in ɖ xibišn ɖt on inišl vywñ r fwmli in oṗzišn t ɖ landscep n pwtrit wrcs: Strūt’s most rīsnt fôtgrafs v sạntific rsrč, a cntinys studi v intanglmnt in a wn-sîdd blif in prôgres. Ɖ incrisñ dgri v fasinešn fr ɖ tūlz w cnstruct t invstiget intu sạntific n mtirı̣l prôgres dstracts s fṛm ɖ īql nīd fr prôgres on sošl n ṗlitcl levlz. In cnẋn wɖ ɖ Izrel/Paḷstîn fôtgrafs, ɖz imijz infws bʈ ɖer rīdñz az tu vršnz v a sīmñli indisoḷbl conflict. Ɖs pāt v ɖ xibišn includz wrc fṛm ɖ Vîzmn Instityt, Rehovot 2011, Ɖ Jetpṛpulšn Lboṛtri, Pasdīna n ɖ Āmstroñ Flîtrisrč Sentr, Edẉdz, bʈ 2014.

Tomās Strūt (born 1954 in Geldern) livz n wrcs in Brlin n Ny Ywc. Comprihnsv xibišnz v Strūt’s wrcs hv bn prizntd at instityšnz includñ ɖ Kunsthalle Bern (1987), ɖ Instityt v Cntmprri Āt, Bostn (1994), ɖ Carré d’Art – Musée d’Art Contemporain de Nîmes (1998), ɖ Našnl Myziym v Modn Āt, Tôcio n Ciôto (2000), ɖ Daḷs Myziym v Āt (2002), Ɖ Metṛpolitn Myziym v Āt, Ny Ywc (2003), n ɖ Museo del Prado, Mdrid (2007). A mêjr retṛspctv turd fṛm ɖ Kunsthaus Zürich (2010) t ɖ Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen K20, Düsldwf, Ẇîtčapl Gaḷri, Lundn (2011), n ɖ Museu Serralves, Pwtu (2011–2012).

Ɖ Metṛpolitn Myziym , Ny Ywc, jst held an xibišn v ɖer lj holdñz v Tomās Strūt’s wrcs btwn Septmbr 2014 n Febrri ɖs yir.

Ɖ mjoṛti v ɖ wrcs in ɖs xibišn r rpṛdyst in a moṇgraf tîtld Tomās Strūt, rīsntli publišt bî MAC Bcs. It includz an ese bî Ulrih Lūc n wl b aveḷbl fr seil at ɖ gaḷri.”