Two Worlds
Friday is the last day to catch "Sima Ariam: Portraits: Photographs of Israeli and American Cultural Figures" at the 92nd Street Y.
This is the first U.S. exhibit of the work of the Israeli-American portrait photographer. The show includes 25 portraits of prominent Israeli and American figures, including former President Bill Clinton and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, former Israeli foreign minister Shimon Peres, former Israel Prime Minister Ehud Barak, conductor Zubin Mehta, author and essayist Susan Sontag, and photographer Richard Avedon.
In her work, Ariam acts quickly, with little formal preparation. "When people pose, it doesn't work," Ariam says in a press release. "I take pictures en passant. It's a situation and a time ö I catch a moment when they Îsit in their skin' well. I need to be in a situation, like a party, where my subjects are very loose and having fun and enjoying themselves."
A fixture in Israel's cultural and political worlds, Ariam was born in Jerusalem. She moved to New York City more than 20 years ago, and is a practicing psychologist.
Admission to "Sima Ariam: Portraits" is free.
92nd Street Y programs also include pop and classical music performances modern dance, readings by poets, novelists and playwrights, and screenings of independent and foreign film.
More information is at www.92yorg.
Asbury Park Press Sunday, April 13, 2003