The action takes place somewhere along the River Tech in Céret, an escarpment of the French Catalan region, on a hot summer’s day. A family takes to the cold waters of a shallow bend in the current to escape the heat. We are transported by the tranquillity of the landscape and the casual framing of the compositions to an almost dreamscape, an echo of another place, another time.

Like a parable of love and silence - each frame reflects the photographer’s intimate relationship with her family, a subtle and cultivated space rooted in love which fosters closeness and affection.

These photographs attempt to freeze time, to capture and immobilise one moment in the flow of history. There is an ambiguity derived from the mood they encompass. In a subtle, effortless way, they document family relationships, childhood and coming of age with a timeless feel, hinting at the fleeting nature of our troubled world.

A glimpse of a family vacation, these images strive to capture a moment of positivity, only hinting at the looming war-torn homeland behind Rubin’s lens. We feel the forces that flow underneath all our lives, shape our lives and continually alter our future.

Michal Rubin (born 1977, Tel Aviv) is an artist based in London. Rubin received her BFA in photography from the School of Visual Arts, NYC (2002) and MFA from the Slade School of Fine Arts, UCL, London (2013).