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Snapshots from the Garden of Eden: Photographic tableaux inspired by the tradition of storytelling

Storytelling has been an important part of our lives for generations. From cavemen swapping their hunting tales around a fire to our Facebook posts today – humans have a need to 'share'.

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Woman with long hair stands barefoot among dark foliage with arms outstretched in a black and white nocturnal garden scene

In her latest photographic series, Snapshots from the Garden of Eden, Dina Goldstein was inspired by transformation, metamorphosis, good and evil, political metaphors, and storytelling in contemporary art.

The photographic tableaux created as part of the series will be exhibited in an upcoming exhibition, Jewish Folktales Retold: The Artist as Maggid, at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco, starting 28 September 2017.

The exhibition presents newly commissioned works by sixteen contemporary artists – including Dina – in response to a selection of tales from Jewish folklore. Acting as modern maggids – storytellers, transmitters of knowledge, secrets revealers – they explore the many facets of these stories’ characters, themes, and metaphors.

All images courtesy of Dina Goldstein

Woman in white nightgown viewed through mirror in a monochromatic bedroom tableau with furniture and reflective surfaces
Black and white photograph of a woman lying prone in a garden surrounded by stones, with fabric draped across her body and lush vegetation in the background
Four figures in a medical setting enveloped by a large dark feathered wing-like structure, arranged as a surreal photographic tableau
Black and white photograph of a person in white robes standing barefoot among illuminated glass display cabinets filled with objects
A man in a workshop adjusts lighting on a large sculptural figure with illuminated geometric patterns on its torso, surrounded by electronic equipment and shelving
A sinuous black serpent curves across a white background, suggesting transformation and mythology central to Dina Goldstein's photographic tableaux
Black and white photograph showing a child in bed reading a book with a illuminated wardrobe filled with stuffed animals in the background
Black and white photograph of three figures reclining on a bed draped with floral garland, surrounded by curtains and ornate bedroom furnishings
Black and white photograph of a man in glasses and vest speaking to a reclining woman wearing a headdress in a stone room with shelves of products
Woman stands on hospital bed gesturing towards a chimpanzee and human figure in a stark white room, a tableau from Dina Goldstein's Snapshots from the Garden of Eden series
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