The Hadar neighborhood in Haifa, Israel, is home to a community of some 500-700 Eritrean asylum seekers. While the State of Israel cannot deport them due to international laws that grant protection to refugees, the Israeli government concurrently declines their applications for asylum, generating a lack of basic rights and limited access to local healthcare and welfare services. The project unearths their stories, which a majority refrain from sharing for fear of being exposed to the Eritrean government and causing financial and physical harm to their loved ones. Undermining the single-faceted nature of documentary photography, Rolinder gave his subjects prints of the photographs they appear in; some wrote down their emotions and thoughts, others covered their faces to remain anonymous. Their harsh reality in Israel is reflected in this participatory project.
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The photographs that comprise In Hadar Going Nowhere were printed and given to the people who appear in them, who, in response, wrote and drew on the printed images. Now, I encourage you to actively participate in the project by reacting to the photographs within this book. You are welcome to write or draw anything that comes to mind – directly on the images, around them, or anywhere you see fit – jot down your thoughts or emotions, or express a message.
Daniel Rolider
This project was created as part of the Haifa Museums’ Artists Program.
