“Christmas in Holy Land” is a personal project that began from the desire to photograph celebrations which take place in Israel during the Christmas period, investigating its origins and history, and how different branches of Christianism relate to that liturgy.
The essay is composed of photographs made during three years, depicting the Syrian and Greek Orthodox, Coptic, Ethiopian, Armenian and Roman Catholic Churches and ceremonies, as well as other religious practices. Most importantly, I aimed to better understand: how do they preserve and rebuild tradition? How do their festivities relate to the pagan heritage from Ancient Egypt, characterized by the celebration of the 24th of December? How should I portray them?
I consider this body of work as an observation of faith, of the complexity and the diversity that coexist in the “Holy Land”. Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Jericho, and the desert of Judea were depicted as dynamic places, rich in traditions, idioms, calendars and images.
The photographs which compose this essay were published nationally and internationally, by different magazines and agencies, such as Gamma Presse Images (FR).
