Surreal Nocturnal Photography Comes To Light In Rome

Felix Taeda II, 2014

Today it’s hard to imagine describing a place without photographic evidence, but that’s what inspired Israeli photographer Rafael Y. Herman for his latest exhibit The Night Illuminates The Night.  Across centuries, artists and storytellers relied on literary descriptions to depict the Holy Land, without ever having been there themselves. Herman wanted to engage with that style by photographing the Forest of Gaililee, fields of the Judaean Mountains, and the Mediterranean Sea, all at night without any electronic or digital manipulation.

Somnum Rubrum, 2012

What this means is that in addition to offering a sense of discovery—bringing an otherwise impossible to see nighttime landscape to life—Herman also offers a new perspective at a time when everyone is a landscape photographer. While the photos look like they were taken during the day, they are only illuminated by moonlight. Each image alters the expectations of shadows and light. The result is a surrealistic image most defined by muted colors that daylight doesn’t provide. The colors immediately indicate something is off, offering a “recreated” reality that challenges the viewers’ perception. But most importantly, the exhibit urges viewers to consider what they can’t see, in a world so clearly defined by images.

The Night Illuminates The Night is on view from January 25th to March 26th at Museum of Contemporary Art of Rome

Imaginarium Silvarum, 2015

Montem 12, 2012

Tempore V, 2012

Yarden, 2013