Sharon Zobali
I was born and raised in New York to a multicultural family. My American mother’s family originates from the Ukraine, while my father’s family is native to the Middle East. Being multicultural, I never felt like I belonged to any specific place or had a home.
I moved to Israel when I was eighteen to be closer to my father’s side of the family. My father’s family originates from Yemen, but dreamt of a new and better life in the Holy Land. They eventually left and walked by foot from Yemen through the desert to the Ottoman Empire, now the State of Israel. On the way to the Ottoman Empire, my family settled for a short time in Alexandria, Egypt, where my grandfather was later born.
While I was studying photography at Bezalel the Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem, I decided to travel to Egypt to learn more about the history of the country and to see where my family once lived. The photographs, shot on a vintage 120mm Hasselblad camera, capture modern day Egypt. My series on Egypt not only captures the beauty of the diverse life in Cairo and Alexandria, but the steps of my family’s history. www.sharonzobali.com
