Dániel Szalai: Novogen
Open to the public:
2020. 11. 09. – 2020. 11. 21.
Other location: PHOTO IS:RAEL, Tel Aviv, Israel
Novogen (2017–2018) is a project focusing on the eponymous breed of chickens, a special type of commercial layer, which was developed to use its eggs in the production of pharmaceutical products such as medicines and vaccines. Through the investigation of the industrialized farming of the Novogen White chicken, the work poses questions about biotechnology and man’s relation to nature. At the same time, by taking the chicken as a metaphor, it reflects on the capitalist notion of workforce and our commodified existence.
The core of the project is formed by an installation of 168 individual chicken portraits. This installation is supplemented by a series of photographs documenting the environment of the production facilities and the process of the vaccine production. Its last part is a selection of extracts from the management guide of the Novogen White and the marketing material of the company which produces them.
The Festival will open on Monday, November 9. The exhibitions will spread all around Kikar Hamedina (Hei be-Iyar Street) in Tel-Aviv, and will be open to the public until Saturday evening, November 21. Besides the outdoor presentations, the Festival will be accompanied by a rich online content program that will be launched at the opening evening with a lecture by the festival’s guest of honor, the legendary photographer, Martin Parr.
PHOTO IS:RAEL is an organization dedicated to the promotion of the art of photography in Israel and abroad. For us photography is a language. It is the language in which we speak, communicate, and argue, the language with which we volunteer and initiate dozens of community outreach programs throughout the year.
Our year-round activity includes: workshops for professional and amateur photographers as well as for the general public; events promoting artistic and social discourse through the language of photography; volunteer work through various non-profit organizations; educational projects for younger and older students; trips to international photography events; photography competitions; and – the pinnacle of our year – the International Photography Festival. Launched in 2009, this annual festival draws tens of thousands of visitors each year. The various events and activities initiated by PHOTO IS:RAEL uphold the values that stand before us at all times – innovation in photography, extensive community outreach and the forging of international bridges through the language of photography.