Diaspora and its quandaries: Frederic Brenner's 25-year odyssey took him from Jerusalem to Manaus, Tajikistan, Johannesburg and Las Vegas, to make photographic portraits of Jews, mostly in groups

Art in America, May, 2004 by Max Kozloff

In contrast, the writers he invited to respond to his photographs are very serious. Often vividly, always with erudition, they treat images as portals into autobiographical memories. It was as if Brenner had traveled as far as he did merely to encourage them to delve into their own origins. For all that I learned from them, I could not side with those writers. I would rather heed the Jewish proverb: "What you don't see with your eyes, don't invent with your tongue." That appears to be sound advice. But as Frederic Brenner--whom I admire--declined to follow it, I'm glad to say that in the end, I didn't either.

(1.) Frederic Brenner, "Jews/America," in CultureFront, Winter 1997 p. 132.

(2.) Frederic Brenner, Diaspora: Homelands in Exile, vol. 1 Photographs; vol. 2, Voices; New York, HarperCollins, 2003.

(3.) Tsvi Blanchard, Diaspora, vol. 2, p. 90.

(4.) Brenner, "Jews/America," p. 132.

(5.) Ibid., p. 124.

"The Jewish Journey: Frederic Brenner's Photographic Odyssey, A Portrait of Jewish Diversity" appeared at the Brooklyn Museum of Art [Oct. 3, 2003-Jan. 11, 2004].

Author: Max Kozloff is a freelance critic and photographer based in New York. His most recent book is New Yorkers As Seen By Magnum Photographers (Powerhouse, 2003).