IN SIDE OUT – Tel-Aviv, ISREAL. 8-9-2022

IN SIDE OUT/ Rani Bruchstein
Curator: Dana Gillerman

Rani Bruchstein’s exhibition, IN SIDE OUT, features photographs from two major series he has been working on in the past several years. The first focuses on Jihane, a model with Alopecia Areata*, and the second on architectural structures, sometimes surreal, in Barcelona, where he lives. Bruchstein’s images are influenced by the language of Instagram, advertising, fashion, and billboards engaging it in dialogue. In his studio photo shoots and street photography sessions, he tries to capture the individual’s emotional expression and the uniqueness of the single structure, occasionally forming a sort of parallelism between the two. In an alienated digital world of screens, images, and mechanized characters, Bruchstein attempts to momentarily grab hold of the emotional and actual, create genuine affinity – connect.

Bruchstein, an autodidact, seeks to establish a close relationship with his subjects. The relationship starts with an invitation to the studio, followed by a brief interview to determine who is the best fit for the project. So far, he has invited dozens of subjects, with whom he has spent hours, if not days, cultivating closeness and intimacy until he feels their trust and devotion to him and the camera. At that point, he asks them to gradually reveal themselves, layer by layer, physically and mentally, while simultaneously covering them in make-up like a mask – hides on the one hand and reveals and uncovers on the other.

During photo shoots, he takes hundreds of photos in an attempt to capture the precise moment and expression that fits his vision. His objective is to translate inner emotions to the surface: body, face, gestures, and expression.
Bruchstein uses light and shadow to emphasize mood and emotions while blurring boundaries.
Colors and layers of make-up are used as accessories to express his subjects’ inner strength and to blur the line between the inside and the outside.

Bruchstein’s characters interact with Art History as well as contemporary androgynous figures. They have eroticism, but it is sexless. The photos are minimalist and yet full of color, contrast, and seduction. The subjects are frequently photographed with their eyes closed, trapped inside their imaginary world.

*   An autoimmune disorder characterized by round patches of baldness, primarily on the scalp and other body areas with hair.