Over seven years ago, Ian Sternthal stumbled upon The Pri-Or PhotoHouse in Tel-Aviv on Allenby Street. Attracted by the amazing black and white images in the window display, he walked in out of curiosity and met Mirian Weissenstein, the founder of the studio, which she opened with her husband Rudi in 1940. Shortly after, he started filming her and learned of her dream to create a book of the many faces that were photographed in their studio. For the last few years, Sternthal has engaged in the process of scanning portraits with the goal of creating a book (Zalmania), a digital book that will include the video footage he shot and traveling exhibitions. To date, he has scanned over 3,000 negatives. He recently raised over $30,000 via Kickstarter to bring this book to fruition.
Ian Sternthal founded Sternthal Books, an art book publishing company and media group that places a strong emphasis on video and new media, shortly after he received his M.A in Liberal Studies from The New School For Social Research in NYC. The company has published six editions to date. The company also includes an online shop which focuses on independently made artist books and editions, and The Sternthal Journal - which will soon launch an IPAD and print edition. Ian has worked in journalism, politics and film and is currently at work on his own book The Huleh Project, a book about art and cultural memory in Israel. His goal is to encourage people of all backgrounds to engage in contemporary and antique aspects of visual and political culture - whether through books, art, film or other forms of academic and cultural expression.