Photographing Biblical Modernity: Frank Scholten in British Mandate Palestine, by Sary Zananiri, offers the first in-depth appraisal of the photographic archive of Frank Scholten.
Please join the author for the launch of his new book Photographing Biblical Modernity: Frank Scholten in British Mandate Palestine (IB Tauris, 2026) at the Monash University Museum of Art on Thursday 21st May from 6–8pm.
Frank Scholten (1881–1942) was a queer Dutch photographer whose work in Palestine between 1921 and 1923 illuminates the intersecting dynamics of modernity, religion, colonialism, and masculinity through visual culture as the British Mandate’s rule was solidified.
The Scholten Photographic Collection, held by NINO, comprises ca. 22,000 original photographs by Frank Scholten. The images have been digitised in 2021–2022 and are available in open access through Leiden University Libraries.
The book will be launched with remarks from Associate Professor Michelle Antoinette and Professor Peter Sherlock, followed by a discussion from Sary Zananiri. It is available in print and in open access (free to download).
Podcast hosted by Roberto Mazza “New books in photography”, 12 February 2026.