# Exhibition: Illusion | On Photography and Truth > Haifa Events **Category:** exhibition ## Description The exhibition seeks to bring us into the world of press photographers – people who, in moments of danger, do not retreat but rather move toward the very center of events, however difficult and harrowing they may be. Throughout history, many press photographers from around the world have come to the Middle East, documenting the region as a whole and Israel and Haifa in particular. The Haifa City Museum's collection holds press photographs dating back to the 1920s, and alongside them the exhibition presents photographs by contemporary press photographers, focusing mainly on the northern region in recent years. The encounter between the historical photographs and contemporary documentation raises questions about the work of press photographers, the choices they make, the intense reality in which they operate, the photographic point of view, and the power of the photographic image to convey a story. The photographs reveal the power of the photographic medium – the ability to capture a split second of emotional chaos and turn it into an image of broad significance. Each frame carries within it an entire world: a record of time, place, era, and culture. Photo: Hoda Abu Hadra Press photographers are present at difficult moments, sometimes just minutes after a dramatic event has occurred. The sights they encounter settle into their memory and their heart, staying with them even after the camera comes down. Alongside moments of crisis, they are also present at joyful, moving events, at moments when people make history. Whatever the circumstances, the central role of press photographers always remains documenting and preserving the moment. But in an age when almost everyone carries a camera and produces countless images every day, new questions arise: Did an event really happen if it wasn't documented? Can a single photograph contain the whole truth? What power does the press photographer hold today? What is their role in a world where it is increasingly hard to hold on to a single truth? The photographs in the exhibition were chosen by the photographers themselves, out of a wish to let them tell not only the story of the event, but also their personal experience. Each photograph documents a specific moment in time, but at the same time it also testifies to a personal point of view, a choice, and a dilemma. In the process of photographing, the press photographer carries great responsibility. They make split-second decisions – where to stand, what to include in the frame and what to leave out of it. In the end, this is the image that will remain with the event for years to come. Memories may change and blur, but the photograph becomes the permanent record. The power to shape how the story will be told lies in the photographer's hands – through the choice of moment, angle, and composition. On the second floor of the exhibition, works are shown that relate to photographic technology and to the act of documentation itself, in dialogue with the Haifa City Museum's photography collection. Together they seek to re-examine the place of photography and of press photographers in an age when the boundary between truth, interpretation, and image grows ever more complex. Yifat Ashkenazi Curator, Haifa City Museum Photo: Oren Ziv **Date:** 2026-09-03 **Venue:** The City Museum **Address:** City Museum, Haifa, Ben Gurion Boulevard, Haifa, Israel **City:** Haifa **Tickets:** https://www.haifa.muni.il/event/%d7%aa%d7%a2%d7%a8%d7%95%d7%9b%d7%94-%d7%9e%d7%a8%d7%90%d7%99%d7%aa-%d7%a2%d7%99%d7%9f-%d7%a2%d7%9c-%d7%a6%d7%99%d7%9c%d7%95%d7%9d-%d7%95%d7%90%d7%9e%d7%aa/ **Image:** https://pub-0a891185c33b4c5a8db7ede117f7c8e7.r2.dev/haifa-events/haifa_municipality/571b5c9ec57c9d39c8541fcf3d61b316.jpg --- **Canonical event page:** https://www.haifa.events/en/event/vystavka-illyuziya-o-fotografii-i-pravde/ **Other languages:** https://www.haifa.events/he/event/vystavka-illyuziya-o-fotografii-i-pravde/, https://www.haifa.events/ru/event/vystavka-illyuziya-o-fotografii-i-pravde/ Haifa Events is an aggregator. Verify the date, price, and ticket availability on the official website before purchase.