L’Space Gallery presents Time Capsule, the first U.S. solo exhibition by Israeli artist Ronit Porat. Time Capsule also features a curated collection of 1920s era vintage photographs by Man Ray. Time Capsule opens with a public reception on Thursday, April 10th.
Porat’s work delves into the interwar period in Germany (1919–1933), a time of profound societal transformation and photographic innovation. Through a meticulous process of collecting, layering, and reassembling archival materials—such as postcards, magazines, and maps—she creates poetic collages and immersive installations that blur the boundaries between personal memory and historical narrative. Porat is particularly drawn to Berlin’s Weimar Republic era, a period of social upheaval and artistic innovation. It was an age when the human body took on new roles in photography studios and advertising, reflecting empowerment and objectification. This historical period resonates deeply with Porat’s personal experiences and the history of the kibbutz where she was born. Time Capsule derives from Porat’s major series from the past decade, offering a multi-layered visual dialogue that examines identity construction, control mechanisms, and the intersections of personal and collective memory.
A key component of the exhibition is Porat’s investigation into crime photography. Particularly a murder that took place in Berlin in January 1931. Fritz Ulbrich, a local watchmaker, was murdered in his shop by a sixteen-year- old named Lieschen Neumann, her boyfriend, and another youth. The murder investigation and trial revealed that during the decade preceding the murder, Ulbrich had turned the backroom office of his workshop into a pornographic photography studio, where he photographed hundreds of young girls, among them Neumann. These unsettling images, taken at a time when photography played an increasing role in surveillance and power dynamics, serve as a foundation for Porat’s exploration of visual manipulation and historical narrative.
The Man Ray photographs serve as a compliment to Porat’s. These works, taken during the same period (1920s–30s) after Man Ray moved to Paris in 1921, reflect a similar spirit of experimentation, exploring the connection between nature and the human form. The dichotomy of the female figure in Man Ray’s art—both as an object of desire and a subject of creative expression—mirrors Porat’s interrogation of gaze, power, and control in historical imagery.
Man Ray’s work, with its poetic study of desire, fantasy, and sexuality within the framework of historical documentation, resonates with Porat’s investigations. Each Artist grapples with the ambiguity of sexuality, illustrating how identity and perception are fluid rather than fixed. The interplay between Porat’s archival compositions and Man Ray’s avant-garde imagery creates a dialogue about the evolving representation of the female form—its objectification, liberation, and transformation.
Ronit Porat was born in 1975 in Kibbutz Kfar Giladi, Israel. She studied at the Chelsea School of Art and Design in London and holds a degree in photography and digital media from Hadassah College, Jerusalem. Her work has been widely exhibited in Israel and Europe.
Man Ray continues to be one of the most influential artists of his generation. An essential member of the Dada and Surrealist movements, his legacy is not only felt in photography today but also in the way that artists approach visual and physical themes. Exhibitions dedicated to the artist continue today at leading museums and institutions internationally.
Ronit Porat – Man Ray : Time Capsule
from April 10 to May 31, 2025
L’Space Gallery
524 W 19th St.
New York, NY 10011
+1 212 695-6860
www.lspacegallery.com
