Sharon Ya'ari, Officers’ Pool 1969, 2016
Archival inkjet print, edition of 5 + 1 A.P., 200 × 310 cm
Sharon Ya'ari
Born 1966 in Holon (IL)
Lives and works in Tel Aviv (IL)
Sharon Ya'ari uses photography as a way of visual thinking. The point of departure for his work is often the Israeli landscape. At first glance he creates impressions of inconspicuous, everyday scenes. However, the photographs, frequently tinged with a melancholy undertone, can be read on a multitude of layers. They depict contradictions that only gain in significance and impact once they are placed in a context of the country's history, politics, and societal structure. Solitary trees, architectural fragments, parks, streets or playgrounds — Ya'ari's subject matter is often devoid of people and at first glance creates an impression of inconspicuous, everyday scenes.
Sharon Ya'ari, White Mustard, 2025
silver gelatin print and ink on fiber print paper, 24 × 18 cm
For his latest body of work, Sharon Ya'ari has been cataloguing all the plants that are growing in the yard of his house in Tel Aviv. He systematically photographs them and develops the analogue prints on old photographic paper from the 1970s in his dark room. Any retouching is deliberately done with black ink. The plants – including some that the artist is intentionally growing, like the corn in Zea Mays (2025) – appear as frozen contemporary witnesses and symbols of transience and development. The lighting and the exquisite textures are reminiscent of a baroque painting.
Sharon Ya'ari, Zea Mays, 2025
silver gelatin print on fiber print paper, 24 × 30 cm
Sharon Ya'ari, Iris Hermona 1969, 2016
Archival inkjet print, edition of 5 + 1 A.P., 32 × 27 cm
Sharon Ya'ari, Route 40 (Electric Pole), 2015
Archival inkjet print, edition of 5 + 1 A.P., 78 × 86.5 cm
Sharon Ya'ari, Route 211 (Detention Center), 2015
Archival inkjet print, edition of 5 + 1 A.P., 78 × 56.5 cm
Sharon Ya'ari, Ramon Crater, 2012
Archival inkjet print, edition of 5 + 1 A.P., 2 parts, 44 × 60 cm
Sharon Ya'ari, Agave, Hedera, 2012
Archival pigment print, edition of 5 + 1 A.P., 94 × 120 cm
Sharon Ya'ari, Road 6, 2010
Archival inkjet print, edition of 5 + 1 A.P., 44 × 60 cm
Sharon Ya'ari, Damon Prison, 2009
Archival inkjet print, edition of 5 + 1 A.P., 106 × 134 cm
Sharon Ya'ari, 500 Meter Radius, 2006
B&W photograph, edition of 5, 16.4 × 24.6 cm
