A Place of Our Own

The Israeli photographer Iris Hassid (b. 1968) spent six years (2014–2020) following the everyday lives of four young Palestinian students in Tel Aviv, all four of whom are Israeli citizens. The intensive collaboration between the expressive artist and the young women led to the impressive exhibition A Place of Our Own. Hassid’s moving photographs capture the daily lives, friendships, and family life of the women. Her pictures are supplemented by films and quotations from their numerous conversations and text messages.
 

The situations, places, and composition of the photographs for the exhibition as well as the accompanying photo book were selected by Iris Hassid in close consultation with Samar, Aya, Majdoleen, and Saja. The women take us with them to their studies, introduce their families, and let us share in their growing friendship with Iris Hassid. When she started her project, the artist did not know the four women, but by the end they considered themselves collaborators – and it was indeed a unique collaboration in the context of present-day Israel.
 

The photographs reflect the complexity of life as a Palestinian woman in Tel Aviv and as a woman with ambitions in Israeli society. Yet they also tell four moving coming-of-age stories, with all the joys, laughs, difficulties, anger, and sadness connected with growing up.
 

What remains are the portraits of four strong young women who are starting their journey in politically difficult times. A project like this one requires courage – from all five participants, both for taking on the project and for carrying it through. This courage alone might suffice in carrying a spark of optimism into the future.

The exhibitions of the “A Place for Us” theme year are supported by Lower Saxony Ministry for Science and Culture, the Stiftung Braunschweigischer Kulturbesitz and the Stiftung Niedersachsen.

This exhibition has been organized in cooperation with the Jewish Museum of Amsterdam.

Iris Hassid

Iris Hassid (b. 1965) lives and works in Tel Aviv, having started as a freelance photographer for various magazines and companies. Hassid has a BA in political science from Tel Aviv University and an MFA from Haifa University. Her extensive photographic projects focus mainly on the identity and culture of young women and evolve from the relationships she builds with her subjects.