Humanscapes
/russian / hebrew/

As an artist, I am interested in capturing those elusive images that dreams are made of. My works emerge out of a form of human encounter and not a technical one. They are not photographic montages that are assembled from constituent elements, but the whole image, that includes number of layers, each of it aims to represent another side of the objects, but never quite revealing their meaning.

My photo archive contains the seeds from which my images grow. Before starting the computer manipulation, I ponder this archive, seeking fresh and innovative juxtapositions that expand the possibilities of the initial subject matter and surpasses the boundaries of ordinary experience. It is my conviction that the whole process of image creation, from camera shooting to darkroom or computer manipulation, is capable of being, in the truest sense, a visual research lab - a place for discovery, observation, and meditation. Ultimately, my task is to amaze the watcher.

It is very important to me to maintain a continual open dialogue with my materials and process; that I am constantly questioning and in turn being questioned, otherwise the entire process becomes a prescribed ritual that does not allow for spontaneous variations and reactions and vitality of the medium and my relation to it suffers.

I aim to combat visual mediocrity and try to challenge the boundaries of photography by exploring the darkroom or computer worlds of the cameraless image, the negative sandwich, multiple printings, double exposure, the expended tonal scale, etc.

My images are personal but I sincerely hope that they have significant implications for others to inspire them to seek out their own "humanscapes".

The final result must be as if one theme shines through another, acquiring fresh nuances while preserving and strengthening the traces of its origin, causing everything to be more real, more alive than in real life.

Nathan Brusovani was born in 1956 in Leningrad. In 1978 he graduated from Leningrad University with the Master's degree. While studying there he also completed a course in scientific photography. For the next eight years under the influence of his elder brother, an artist, he has been studying photo art in his home laboratory.

During the same period of time Nathan also taught Hebrew and was active in Jewish cultural life. He participated in various underground exhibitions in Moscow and Leningrad. While still in refusal he succeeded in smuggling out some of the negatives of my works into the USA and Israel and later the album of this works was published.

In 1987 Nathan received permission for emigration from Soviet Russia and with his wife Hana and four children came to Israel where they are living now.

In Israel Nathan participated in many exhibitions, among them the personal exhibition in Jerusalem Theater in 1997.