Orit Siman-Tov

In her "Leisure Time in Israel" series, Orit Siman-Tov explores contemporary Israeli life as seen through public leisure sites and their inhabitants. Each of these sites is stripped of its cultural and natural landscape and designed for a universal feel. However, in each of Siman-Tov's pictures, there are traces of Israel, particularly around the edges of the frame. People lounge by a pool in the desert, or enjoy ski slopes that are identifiable through signage in Hebrew as those Mt. Hermon, Israel's only ski resort. These safe, relaxing activities also create a tension in these images, in so far as they contrast with the images of armed conflict and political strife that the Western media more commonly show of the region.

Orit Siman-Tov was born in Israel on March 12, 1971. She earned her BFA in photography from Bezalel Academy of Art, Jerusalem, Israel (1997). Her solo exhibitions include Leisure Time in Israel at ARC Gallery, Chicago (2004); School Uniform at Architects' House Gallery, Tel Aviv (2002); The Trace of the City at Haifa Museum, Haifa (2001); Israel 2000: Pilgrims in the Christian Holy Places at Hakibbutz Gallery, Tel Aviv (2000); and Leisure time in Israel at Brotfabrik Gallery, Berlin (2000). Her work is in the collections of Haifa Museum, Hakibbutz Gallery, and Camera Obscura in Israel; and Schoeneber Archive in Germany.

Text © Museum of Contemporary Photography, 2018