Urban Diversity - Photo Project & Exhibition
Urban Diversity: Behind the Walls of Tel Aviv
In 2014, I started wondering what Tel Aviv looks like from the inside.
Not the city you see walking down the street. But what’s behind the doors. The windows. The cracks in the buildings. Who lives there? What does their space say about them?
It started one April afternoon in a café. I looked around and thought: Who are these people? What do their homes look like? What’s their everyday life like? That one question stayed with me. I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
So I turned it into a photo project.
From idea to images
In June, I began seeking out people who would let me in. Literally.
By August, I was taking photos. Apartments, buildings, portraits. Some lived alone, while others lived in shared flats. Some places were full of light, others felt quieter or closed off. Every home told its own story.
By October, I had photographed 18 people. All Tel-Avivians. All different.
The Exhibition at Maze9
In November 2014, the project became an exhibition. Maze9, an independent creative space in Tel Aviv, hosted Urban Diversity from November 6 to 13. I produced and curated the entire show myself, even after crowdfunding efforts fell
An interactive setup
At the entrance, there was a wall filled with portraits and short handwritten questionnaires. Then came the flats and interiors — photos of the spaces.
Visitors were asked to guess which person lived where. In another room, they could check if they were right.
It wasn’t meant to be flashy or overwhelming. Just real, simple, and human.
Media and community support
Time Out Israel and Radio TLV1 both covered the project. Maze9 gave me their support early on. Even though it wasn’t a big production, it reached people. The reactions, the conversations — that’s what stayed with me.
Why I still care about this project
Urban Diversity was about seeing the city differently.
Not as streets or buildings, but as people. Not as the obvious, but as the everyday. It’s about paying attention. Looking a little closer. Asking questions.
And maybe, imagining something you didn’t notice before.
Exhibition Details
Dates: November 6 to 13, 2014
Location: Maze 9, Maze St 9, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel
