Adam Broomberg and Rafael Gonzalez
South Africa, Germany
Anchor in the Landscape
Anchor in the Landscape is a collection of large-format black-and-white studies of olive trees growing in the Occupied Territories of Palestine, some of which are thousands of years old.
The olive tree is a symbol of Palestinian identity, culture, and resistance. It supports the livelihoods of over 100,000 Palestinian families, is a centre of traditions and identities, and has long been a target of destruction and theft. Since 1967, 800,000 Palestinian olive trees have been destroyed by Israeli authorities and settlers.
Over the course of 18 months, artists Adam Broomberg and Rafael Gonzalez photographed olive trees in the Occupied Territories of Palestine, each one acting as fixed points in a historic and transforming landscape that is constantly disputed, altered, and increasingly destroyed. Each portrait bears witness to the presence and resilience of the Palestinian people and their relationship with the land.
Adam Broomberg and Rafael Gonzalez are both Berlin-based artists whose collaborative and individual practices explore photography, political engagement, and social activism. Broomberg, a former partner of Oliver Chanarin, has received awards including the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize and ICP Infinity Award, and teaches at ISIA Urbino and the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague. Gonzalez, trained at the International Center of Photography, and teaches at SRH Berlin
Their 2024 monograph, Anchor in the Landscape (MACK Books) was exhibited at the 60th edition of la Biennale di Venezia, Villa Medici (Rome), Kunsthal Extra City (Antwerp), Spore Initiative (Berlin), and Ibraaz (London).
