Adam Rouhana

The exhibition Adam Rouhana. Before Freedom presents photographs by Palestinian-American photographer Adam Rouhana (1991). Rouhana, who grew up in America, visits his family in Palestine every year. The daily life he experiences there does not match the image Rouhana sees in the Western media. This one-sided perspective drives him to develop an alternative as a photographer. With his camera, he explores life beyond the news cycle, with daily moments of happiness and love for the community. His raw, yet dreamy images not only show the beauty and complexity of life in Palestine, but also question the role of photojournalism.

'As I got older and developed my practice, I noticed a dissonance between the West's conception of Palestinian society and the images I was making — the life I was living. In the news media, Palestinians were often depicted as masked and violent or as disposable and lifeless.'' - Adam Rouhana

For the past three years, Rouhana has been documenting local life in historic Palestine, in cities such as Jerusalem, Haifa, Akka, Hebron, Nablus and Bethlehem. His work offers a varied and intimate view of daily life. It shows a world where children play and swim, and friends and families gather for picnics or hairdressers. At the same time, images of soldiers, checkpoints and surveillance cameras confront the viewer with the harsh reality of the occupation. Using a subtle colour palette and natural light, the photographer captures Palestinians as authentic, proud and full of joy. Amidst recurring elements such as olive trees, poppies and watermelons – symbols of Palestinian resistance that are also characteristic of the landscape and local culture – Rouhana invites the viewer into the lives of Palestinians, who continue their daily activities despite the occupation.