“Tzniut means modesty, dignity, demureness. It is the way to embellish the human being, hiding what only in intimacy shall be revealed.”
– The Secret of Jewish Femininity.
Says Natalia: In the Jewish religion, modesty is a means to create privacy. The veiling of married Jewish woman’s hair is motivated by such modesty. Ever since I was a child I wondered about my place as a woman. I used to question why my dad always walked ahead of me, or why us women had to sit in the back at Temple. I was born and raised in Argentina under Jewish customs and traditions. I come from a family of Arab Jews, and both cultures were present in my upbringing. I’ve been portraying people’s backs, obstructions and meaningless elements for years, without really knowing why. A while back I realized that many of the memories I have from my childhood are obstructed, partially visible. Like my dad’s face. Like religious women’s hair.
The project explores the concept of intimacy by portraying the Torah-observant women, their relationship with religion, customs and the interaction within the household. I’m especially interested in capturing details. Hints on their daily life that can help grasp the essence of Tzniut.
Natalia Dana (1983) lives and works in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She’s a Photographer, Graphic Designer and a Professor in the Multimedia Arts Degree at the National University of Arts in Buenos Aires. Graduate from the EFA Andy Goldstein and the University of Buenos Aires, she completes her instruction with several workshops and clinics of contemporary art and photography, as well as illustration, dance, sculpture & writing. Her teachers were Lorena Fernandez, Alessandra Sanguinetti, Silvia Gurfein, Don Rypka & Alberto Goldenstein, amongst others. She finds her interest in the relationship between identity and its representation through images. This is a personal interest coming from a Jewish family of Brazilian mother and Lebanese father. She develops her personal work in photography participating in different exhibitions, both individual and collective. Her work has been shown in different Art Galleries and Cultural Centres in Buenos Aires and Spain.
Website: nataliadana.com
