In the words of Vardi Kahana: This is the story of one family. It is the entire Jewish-Israeli narrative embodied in a single family. This is my family. To the big question of Jewish-Israeli identity, the photographs of my family provide a kaleidoscope of answers. The photograph that launches the series is Three Sisters. It depicts Kahana’s mother Rivka, with her two sisters Leah and Esther, each with her left sleeve rolled up to expose consecutive tattoos: A-7760, A-7761, A-7762. Today, having survived Auschwitz, Rivka and her sisters live in Israel with 31 grandchildren, two of them have 35 great-grandchildren.

Kahana, after establishing herself as Israel’s premier portrait photographer, began to document the depths of her own family. It was a journey that spanned more than a decade and took her across not only geographical boundaries but ideological and psychological ones as well. Despite the close-knit nature of the first generation of holocaust survivors, subsequent generations have adopted a diverse range of lifestyles and belief systems, creating political and religious gulfs. By depicting each branch of the family in its own environment Kahana shows the myriad paths individuals are capable of following. From leftist kibbutzim to West Bank settlers and from Orthodox Jews in Tel Aviv to secular Jews in Copenhagen, Kahana’s presence behind the camera continually reminds us that they are all of one family.

One Family will be presented at Andrea Meislin Gallery following its showing at the Tel Aviv Museum (June through October 2007). Accompanying the exhibition is a limited edition portfolio of 21 images with essay by Meir Shalev.

Vardi Kahana’s work has been exhibited throughout Israel, both in solo and group exhibitions. She was born in Tel Aviv, Israel, in 1959 and currently lives and works in Ramat Hasharon. This marks the first time her work will be exhibited in New York.