Bienal de Pontevedra

In a three-screen installation, this piece closely follows the morning prayers of an Orthodox Jew (Michael Cohen, from the Wrocławian tradition), a Greek Orthodox Christian (Father Issa Taljieh, from the Church of the Nativity) and a Sunni Muslim (Feras Kazaz, a Koran reader at the Al-Aqsa Mosque). Away from the conflict zones that today make up Jerusalem, the artist places these subjects in the Judean Desert, a highly significant place for the three Abrahamic religions: the Qumran Canyon (where the Jewish Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered), Wadi Qelt (where the caves of the first Christians were found) and Nabi Musa (a pilgrimage route to Mecca). Using a calm and precise cinematography, in which she alternates distance and proximity, Isabel Rocamora captures the ritual gestures and voices of the subjects in time and space.  At the same time, the triptych highlights the similarities and celebrates the differences between the three religions and invites us to question the limits of ethnic and territorial identity. With this work, Rocamora encourages us to reflect on one of the most long-suffering and resounding conflicts that still persists in this century by proposing a contemplation on faith, human connection and the possibility of overcoming the divisions that separate us. Despite our differences, we share a common essence, value and space.