On the occasion of the EMOP Berlin 2023, the Robert Morat Gallery presents new black-and-white photographs by the American artist Bill Jacobson (*1955). The out-of-focus images in his series when is a place speak of social risks and uncertainties. They question natural perception and our place in the world. Through his use of an unfocussed lens, a drab sky, and an unusual tonal range, Jacobson challenges the limits of traditional photographic practice. 

In the photographs, fuzzy horizon lines dramatically bisect distant landscapes, while the subtle curves of indistinct human bodies and unknown architectural spaces take on key importance. Jacobson shot his large-format work between 2018 and 2020 in Virginia, the south of France, upstate New York and in his New York City studio and developed the analogue gelatine silver prints in his traditional black-and-white darkroom. The exhibition is accompanied by a new publication.