The Dead Sea is certainly one of the most interesting and mysterious areas of the Earth. Since it has always been the lowest and saltiest river basin in the world, it has been called the sea since ancient times. The places that overlook its shores are protagonists of biblical legends and tales, just think of the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, which plausibly rose where now there is Mount Sodom, inside the Natural Reserve of the Judean Desert and not far from Ein Bokek beach.
In addition to being an important archaeological site, where, for example, the remains of a cosmetic and therapeutic mud factory dating back to the time of Herod have been found, Ein Bokek today represents a destination frequented mainly by tourists from different countries.
It is precisely in this place, located on the western shore of the lower basin of the Dead Sea and where the water depth never exceeds 2 meters, that photographer Alexander Bronfer has returned almost every week for about two years, capturing its truest and deepest soul.
Alexander Bronfer was born in Ukraine and studied in Russia, in St. Petersburg. Once he finished his studies he moved to Israel, first in Tel Aviv and then lived in several Kibutz in the south of the country.
This experience led him to frequent the Dead Sea area, with which he immediately fell in love.
All the shots he has taken in this area are contained in the photographic series The Dead Sea, which over the years has become a collection of images that give back exactly the almost surreal atmosphere that you can live in this place.
What you can touch by looking at his photos is the tranquility of the place, tranquility that sometimes can be mistaken for abandonment, as if the world had forgotten its existence.
Then, however, especially during the summer season, a few dozen tourists manage to reach Ein Bokek and fill the empty space, appropriating it just for the time of a day.
People of different cultures and religions meet on the beach to enjoy the natural benefits offered by the Dead Sea, abandon themselves to its waters, and often spend hours floating, kept afloat by the massive amount of salt.
Given the most recent studies indicating that the lower basin of the Dead Sea is destined to disappear and evaporate altogether, Alexander Bronfer’s photographs are not only a study of one of the oldest places in the world but also represent a testimony to something that in a few years may no longer be there.
