 |
“Jerusalem”
|
American photographer Gary Monroe will have an exhibit of his collection of The New and the Old in the Old and the New at the Bochenski Gallery of the Fabryka Trzciny from November 8. This collection depicts the lives of the elderly Jewish community of Miami Beach in the 1980s, along with modern life in Jerusalem from the artist’s visit there in 2003. Monroe grew up in Miami Beach, and, coming from Jewish descent himself, was very much attracted to the community established by old world Jews who had escaped the Holocaust, lived their productive years mostly in the larger cities of the northeastern United States, and then moved south to spend their retirement years in the relatively peaceful environment and warm climate that Miami provided. Because the vast majority were of the generation of the Holocaust, the exhibit is an important record of the end of this historically important group. The Miami Beach community they established has been replaced by the glitter and nightlife of what is now one of the most vibrant entertainment centers in the US – a profound contrast to the peaceful final years of the Miami Jews.
In another contrast, Monroe’s Holy Land photos portray the multi-ethnic character of contemporary Jerusalem. Jews and Moslems, Catholics and Orthodox all have their place in the modern life of the ancient city. The photos were commissioned by the Israeli Consulate in Miami to celebrate the 3,000th anniversary of the city of Jerusalem. The Jerusalem exhibit has already made special appearances in Poznań, Stalowa Wola, and Nowa Dęba, and the Miami Beach photos have appeared in the Regional Museum in Stalowa Wola.
In addition to his photos of Miami and Jerusalem, Monroe has traveled and photographed extensively in Haiti, Cuba, Trinidad, Brazil, and India. Beyond his art work, Monroe is a professor of photography at the Daytona Beach Community College. He lives in Deland, Florida with his wife and two children.
|
