Assaf Hinden: Figure of Work

Assaf Hinden’s debut exhibition with Braverman Gallery features photography works capturing visitors in various museums worldwide. The series focuses on their physical presence and gestures within the authoritative space that defines cultural and historical mappings of visual knowledge and ideas. The project utilizes museums as backdrops, devoid of their art collection which defines their value and prestige.

The body of work integrates figures of diverse ages, genders, and ethnicities through which Hinden examines the performative qualities of observing. His ongoing practice surrounding the evolution, origin, and ownership of art continues in Figure of Work, in which the artist reflects on the function of the institute and its disciplines, enabling an alternative gaze on the “observed observer”.

The act of erasure which he implements, neutralizes concrete questions on time and place – directing attention to the exploration of the co-dependence of museum spaces on human presence. The project alludes to the notion of the visitors as active participants in the creation and meaning-making of art, and examines the role of the viewer in the artistic process and display. The viewers of the project in the gallery function as potential participants, by becoming aware of their presence and role.