Vered Nissim

Born in Holon, 1980
Lives and works in Tel Aviv

For the past 12 years, Vered Nissim has been photographing her mother, whom she views as an embodiment of themes concerning motherhood, work, and fantasy. Over the years, in the course of their artistic collaboration, Vered and her mother have exchanged roles: Esther has become immersed in her daughter's photographic project, transforming herself from a mother into a child. Her fantasy concerning herself and her children shapes her personal, intimate sphere, while serving as the survival mechanism that provides her with hope. The woman who did not have the privilege of believing in herself, yet believed in her children and made incredible efforts to provide them with a better life, now playfully engages in the artistic sphere created by her daughter. The photographs of pages from Esther's personal diary that are presented in this exhibition include daily reminders about taking her pills alongside letters to the executive directors of NAAMAT and of the Histadrut Employees Union, in which she revives long-lost values concerning equality and social justice. And, of course, she also writes to her daughter, Vered: "I told Vered, I've erased my own past, while you, Vered, light one spark after the other to create a blazing fire..."


Esther (Dahan) Nissim

Born in Iraq, 1947
Lives in Holon

Esther Nissim (Vered's Mother) the fifth girl in a family of 11 brothers and sisters, grew up in Tel Aviv's Hatikva neighborhood. She studied sewing in her adolescence, and took a job in a candle factory when she was 16. Following her marriage, she began working as a cleaner in private homes and offices. Over the past decade, she has been working as a cleaner in the NAAMAT offices. She has four children and six grandchildren. Esther Nissim has always designed and sewn her own clothes; she reads poetry, and her journals are filled with philosophical comments. She views sewing, reading, and writing as pursuits representing her freedom and uniqueness, as well as the worlds beyond her blue uniform, bucket, and mop.