Adiga: Circassians in Israel

New photography by James Arthur Allen,

winner of the Rebecca Vassie Memorial Award

The Rebecca Vassie Trust is delighted to announce the first exhibition of new photographic work created through the Rebecca Vassie Memorial Award.

Shot entirely on film, ‘Adiga: Circassians in Israel’ is an arresting collectionexploring Israel's little-known ethnic Circassian population.

Displaced from the Caucasus region in the nineteenth century, the Circassiandiaspora spread through Europe and the Middle East. One group settled in whats now Israel; today, a population of 3,000 Circassians resides in Kfar Kama, asmall town near the Sea of Galilee.

Emerging British photographer James Arthur Allen, winner of the first Rebecca Vassie Memorial Award, used the £1,200 bursary to travel to Kfar Kama andspend time among the Circassian people.

In the resulting photographs, a blend of formal portraiture and semi-urban landscapes, Allen explores how the Circassians ‒ who are Sunni Muslims ‒ have integrated into Israeli society, while at the same time retaining a fierce sense ofcultural independence.

Examining a cross-section of people and settings, the work counterpoints modernity and tradition, with particular emphasis on how younger generationsstay in touch with older customs.

James Arthur Allen says: “It is a real privilege for me to able to show my work ‘Adiga' in London and to be able to tell the story of the Circassian diaspora inIsrael. Working alongside the Trust and its partners I’m looking forward to putting on an ambitious and dynamic exhibition.”

 Print partner Metro Imaging