On Thursday, 25.9.25, at 17:00 PM, a solo exhibition by Sabrina De Rita will open at the Tiberias Community Center, 15 Hadar, Haifa. ""Freedom in time of war".
Freedom in time of war
Over the past two years, Haifa has lived in a difficult reality. Everyone has found their own way to deal with the tension and uncertainty. For me, the camera has become an escape, a tool for breathing. In a reality of closures, alarms, missiles, and running to shelters, every time I left the house with the camera, I felt like I was able to breathe again.
Many residents became accustomed to stopping their daily routines and waiting, and the feeling was that freedom had disappeared. It was within this context that the photographs in the exhibition were born, small moments that I captured on the street, like fragments of freedom amidst tense days.
Between the documentary and the poetic
The photographs in the exhibition move along the axis between documentary and poetic. On the one hand, a shelter to which residents fled with their dog, and on the other, small moments of kindness, such as a careful walk in the center of Carmel. The exhibition seeks to ask: What does freedom look like, when life is reduced to survival? Is it possible to find breath and tenderness even in the midst of a tense and fearful everyday life?
A poetic image of freedom
Among the photographs that symbolize freedom for me is the one of a heron soaring over the city. Especially in days of fear and uncertainty, its movement in the sky reminds us that even in times when the ground trembles beneath our feet, there is still open space to breathe.
Another photograph, which I call "poetic photography," documents a woman walking almost floating through the center of Carmel, umbrella in hand. In a busy main street, in this moment she seems to detach herself from the hustle and bustle around her, a small gesture of freedom in the middle of the day.
Art as a way to cope with fears
Alongside photographs that convey a sense of freedom, there are also those that capture the real presence of war and the fear it brings. For example, a photograph of soldiers on a train on their way back to Haifa, a seemingly everyday scene that in those days took on a completely different tone.
Another example is a photo from a shelter, showing residents sitting together with their dogs, a stark reminder that this was our routine. A few blocks away, a small moment I caught on camera: a man carrying a heavy box, and on the wall behind him is graffiti, "Bringing them home." A loaded sentence, which in those days took on a particularly painful meaning.
Amidst all this, there is hope: that the war will end, that the fear will dissipate, and that the kidnapped will return home.
A moment of respite
One of the photographs in the exhibition documents a moment in the Garden of Remembrance: a young man improvisingly juggling oranges between the jets of the fountain. Amid days of fear, shelters, and alarms, this image captures a surprising sense of lightness, a reminder that even in the heart of a wartime reality, one can find play, color, and the sound of flowing water that momentarily restores freedom.
All the photographs were taken in the city of Haifa between 2023 and 2025, amidst a tense and complex reality. They were born from moments of fear, hope, and longing for free breathing, and seek to offer a different perspective, to see how even in days of uncertainty, a little freedom can be found.
The text was written for the opening of the exhibition. "Freedom in Time of War", and invites the audience to stop for a moment, observe, and ask what freedom means to them.
A little something about myself
Photographer, poet, painter and musician. Lives in Haifa. Member of the Hebrew Writers' Association in Israel. I have published nine books so far: poetry, prose and a photography book. In recent years I have been publishing articles in the newspaper live here.
The public is welcome, admission is free.
Dear Aryeh, thank you very much for your words. I would be very happy to see you.
Good luck Sabrina, you are a pure soul who immortalizes the moments of enlightenment against the backdrop of the harsh reality we have written before us.
Great Sabrina. I always knew your eye sees the special in simplicity. I'll definitely come watch the opening.
Thank you very much Anat, that's exciting to hear.