LILIANA GELMAN      

los libros de la biblioteca no tienen letras
cuando los abro surgen

the books of the library have no words
when I open them they come up

Jorge Luis Borges, "La Dicha"

THE LIBRARY

As an Argentinian immigrant in Israel I had to confront the abyss of life in a place where an unknown language is spoken.

I started to take pictures of every page of my Spanish-Hebrew dictionary. The photos created a world through which I could travel, a world of enormous beauty whose meaning I would reveal by the light of my photos.

In the midst of this exploration a very strange thing happened: one day I found about twenty abandoned books in the street. They seemed to be part of the same library because they were printed in German and most of them were valuable 19th century editions. Since then, I have continued to rescue more books from the street, the beach, or even from the garbage.

The books have the most diverse origins, they are printed in many languages and have come from all parts of the world. I have added other books that I found at the flea market, continuing to photograph their pages, looking for the emotional and sensory experience in the simple act of opening a book -- knowing that there will be a meeting, a memory, a journey or a mirror, even in a language I canˆït understand.

A strange and special library has taken, shape where classic and unknown authors coexist, as do handbooks, novels, essays and dictionaries; philosophy, phonetics and music.

A library which is a refuge for these books that will probably not be read, but whose pages continue to offer to the senses their own beauty and their own travelers' stories.

CV

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1959
Graduated in Architecture from the University of Buenos Aires and worked as designer.
Taught Morphology and Graphic Designfor over ten years at the University of Buenos Aires and other Colleges.
Attended several research seminars about image and writing and studied painting at Juan Doffo's workshop in Buenos Aires.
In 1998 began to explore the use of photography as an artistic means of expression using very simple equipment.
Her work has been published in numerous monographs, and is included in private collections in Argentina, Brazil and U.S.A.
Since 2002 she lives and works in Haifa, Israel.

SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2005
The Library, Exhibition programmed for 2005/6, The National Library, Buenos Aires, Argentina
2003
Signs of writing, Light House Gallery, Tel Aviv, Israel
2000
Butterflies, Galería Brodersohn/Martinez, Buenos Aires, Argentina
1993
Invisible Cities, Centro Cultural Recoleta, Buenos Aires, Argentina
1992
Paintings, Galería Marginalia, Buenos Aires, Argentina

GROUP EXHIBITIONS (selection)
2004
Hebrew-a foreign tongue, Janco-Dada Museum, Ein Hod, Israel
Israeli Fine Art Exhibition & Gala, Fenomena Art Gallery, Seattle, USA
2003
The Photographed Word, Gallery Sink, Denver, USA
Descubrimientos, PhotoEspa–a 2003, Madrid, Spain
Ventanas, Galeria EFTI, Madrid and Valencia, Spain
Tango de Colores, Tzafon Gallery, Haifa, Israel
Flowers and Butterflies, G.O. Art Gallery, Haifa, Israel
2001
Artists of the Gallery, Galería Brodersohn/Martinez, Buenos Aires, Argentina
1998
III Salón Nacional del Mar, Teatro Auditorium, Mar del Plata, Argentina
1997
II Salón Nacional del Mar, Teatro Auditorium, Mar del Plata, Argentina
1993
La ciudad convoca a sus creadores, Centro Cultural Recoleta, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Premio Federico Lanús, Fondo Nacional de las Artes, Buenos Aires, Argentina
1992
Premio Federico Lanús, Fondo Nacional de las Artes, Buenos Aires, Argentina
I Bienal Colores de Buenos Aires, Centro Cultural Recoleta, Buenos Aires, Argentina
1991
Premio Blades, CAYC, Harrods en el arte, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Premio Jerusalem, Centro Cultural Recoleta, Buenos Aires, Argentina
La Discriminación, Sociedad Hebraica Argentina, Harrods en el Arte, Buenos Aires, Argentina
 

PURCHASE
Digital Print (Lambda) 12" x 18"
Contact Colophon Page for further information.

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