Growing up in Israel shaped Ariella Aïsha Azoula’s view of the world, political power and art.
“I was assigned a settler colonial identity,” Azoula said. “I refused to recognize myself in it.”
Although her work includes writing, imagery and photographic manipulation and criticism, she doesn’t consider herself an artist.
“The position of the artist is a very problematic one, tied to the history of imperialism,” Azoulay said.
Azoulay believes history as understood through images, artworks, museums and archives reflects a colonial view of the world and needs to be challenged.
“Unlearning it is necessary in all the different domains where we are working, either as historians or geographers or scholars of photography or even photographers,” she said.
For her works critiquing the role of photography, the International Center of Photography has awarded her the 2023 Infinity Award for Critical Writing, Research and Theory.
“The photograph is about a moment that is gone is something that I reject,” Azoulay said. “The invention of the past is a very powerful imperial construct.”
Extras from Ariella Aïsha Azoulay's Interview
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Credits
Cinematographer: Nicole Bramley
Special Thanks: Adel Ben Bella, Caroline Vigneron, Stephanie Adams and David E. Little
This film was made possible with the generous support of Harbers Studios.
2023 ICP Infinity Awards Recipients
About the ICP Infinity Awards
Since 1985, the International Center of Photography has recognized outstanding achievements in photography with its prestigious Infinity Awards. The awards ceremony is also ICP’s primary fundraising benefit, with its revenues assisting the center's various programs.
Harbers Studios commissioned MediaStorm, on behalf of ICP, to create a short film about each of the recipients to screen at the awards ceremony and to display online. The films pay tribute to the contributions of each artist to the craft and field of photography and demonstrate ICP's commitment to them.
As a privately funded nonprofit arts and education organization, ICP depends in large part on friends such as you for support. Your generosity is vital to ICP as it continues to grow and succeed in its mission: to present photography's extraordinary power to the public.
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