I went to the Amsterdam Photography Museum today: the FOAM. They are showing work from a French photographer, apparently just called JR, who puts up large photographs in public places. The project is called 'Face 2 Face': he went to Israel and Palestine, photographed all kinds of different people in both places and then plastered up huge posters of the photos on both sides of the separation wall.

The idea was that often people only get information about people on the other side from the media, but at least now they could look directly at each other as human beings. This work is now on display at different locations in Amsterdam and at the FOAM there was an extremely interesting "making of" video in which they talked quite a bit with the people in the photos.

Two funny bits: First, the people in the photos are making completely ridiculous faces. Second, the city council for Amsterdam Centrum tried to get the one just below taken down because they considered it advertising rather than art! Funny because the city council for all of Amsterdam had already given them permission to put it up, also funny because what could it be advertising for? The museum? More like the information at the FOAM is the advertising that encourages people to see the real art, out in the street.













Some (I think) powerful photos from another exhibition: