Groep van 54 foto's van Syrië en Klein-Azië verzameld door Richard Polak 1867 - 1895

Editor: Here we have a fascinating glimpse into the past – a vintage photograph from a collection dated between 1867 and 1895, depicting Syria and Asia Minor. These albumen prints were gathered by Richard Polak. I'm immediately struck by the contrast between the solid, almost severe, rock face and the little dwellings nestled within. What's your take on it? Curator: It whispers tales of resilience, doesn't it? Imagine those buildings, carved into the landscape like secrets held within the stone. For me, it’s less a simple photograph, and more like stumbling upon a dream. It has such strong echoes of the orientalist movement and the visual tropes about the exotic “other” – a slightly fantasized version of life. But then, the textures draw me in. Have you ever felt that a place has memory, woven into its very fabric? Editor: Absolutely! The architecture here blends into the rocks so smoothly; it could almost be mistaken as natural formations, initially. Curator: Exactly! And that interplay… it raises questions. What does it mean to "inhabit" a place? Does the land own us, or do we mold it to our will? There’s something almost… rebellious about claiming a home from such unforgiving stone. And there is this quiet presence – you know, no bustle, no market squares… Editor: Now that you mention the rebelliousness, it has altered the image's perception, and I admire this hidden rebellion from society, as if inhabitants did not seek to be found. What have you gathered from it overall? Curator: That every place, every photograph, every creation… it's just a fragment of an endless story. Perhaps a single photograph – from this group of fifty-four – is also about piecing together our understanding of history, one faded albumen print at a time. Thanks for wandering with me a bit, through landscape and dreamscape.