Daniel Tchetchik: Sunburn

Daniel Tchetchik

Daniel Tchetchik's photographic series Sunburn deals with his homeland Israel in the months before, during and after the Gaza war in 2014. The photographer uses a dualistic approach; the motifs are shot in two formats as well as in black and white and colour. Tchetchik conveys the often contradictory effects of the Middle Eastern climate on the physical and metaphysical landscape – a sun that warms, nurtures and comforts, burns, strikes and scars. The works present a reality of uncertainty and disarray, conflict and tension, intertwined with elements that border on fantasy, dreams and theatre. Some of the photographs are literally ‘sunburned’, as a number of negatives were burned in the severe heat. They symbolize a time that has disappeared, yet their aesthetics often bear certain similarities to the most advanced digital filters, raising additional questions about time and the evolution of imagery.