Monuments and memorials are built to last, to serve as reminders of events long after they fade from living memory. They honor the past—whether shared, contested, or troubled—but their true significance often lies not in what they commemorate, but in the emotions, reflections, and actions they provoke. Conveying different messages to different audiences, monuments can inspire, empower, intimidate, or consolidate a sense of identity and values. While they help cement historical narratives, they also cast their shadow over social realities and imagined political futures.
Such notions and tensions underlie Yoav Horesh’s exhibition, which captures a pivotal moment in the charged history of Confederate monuments in the United States. These statues, originally erected to honor the leaders and legacy of the Confederacy—the eleven pro-slavery states that seceded from the Union in 1861, igniting the American Civil War—were intended to restore Southern pride after their defeat. However, their meaning has since shifted, embedding them in contemporary political and social discourse.
Horesh’s use of a large-format film camera and traditional silver print techniques emphasizes the historical weight of the events unfolding before his lens. His black-and-white photographs evoke the racial tensions deeply ingrained in these landscapes, capturing the visual and ideological collision between opposing aesthetic and political languages. The grandiosity of the classical statues is confronted with the vibrant expressions of African American culture—graffiti, handmade memorials, and spontaneous protest art dedicated to victims of police brutality and hate crimes. These now counter-monuments have become sites of resistance and collective mourning, challenging the statues’ original intent and reshaping their significance in the public space.
Horesh’s photography is not just historical documentation—it is a bold artistic statement that urges viewers to reconsider the evolving relationship between past, present, and identity.
"Yoav Horesh – Monuments" is more than an exhibition—it is an invitation to reflect, question, and see history through new eyes.
