The Photo League was a cooperative of photographers in New York who banded together around a range of common social and creative causes. The League was active from 1936 to 1951 and included among its members some of the most noted American photographers of the mid-20th century. After WW II the Photo League was disbanded on a charge of communist outreach.

The design of the exhibition was inspired by the grid of Manhattan’s streets. It is composed of a system of modular screens, whose ornamentality recalls art-deco motifs. The juxtaposition of pastel ornamental constructions and monochromatic photographs signifies the contrast between the grandeur of New York and its poverty, reflected in the Photo League’s work. The positioning of the screens creates a meandering path through the stretched rectilinear hallway.

Design: Olga Treivas, Very Odyn, Elena Kornilova
Client: Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center
Curators: Nina Gomiashvili
Graphic Design: Cyril Blagodatskih and Anna Naumova
Status: completed
Location: Moscow
Year: 2016
Photography: Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center