Mediterranean: Between Reality and Utopia

1 of 7 A new show at London's Photographers' Gallery focuses on the Mediterranean, an area whose representation permeates the history of art and literature. Photo: © Marc Rader

2 of 7 Artists flock to its shores, attracted by the quality of light in the region as well as its rich history. Photo © Xavier Ribas

3 of 7 The sea, where the continents of Africa, Europe and Asia meet, acts as both a bridge and a divider between nations, creating a site onto which hopes and desires are projected. Photo: © Kessels Kramer

4 of 7 Photographer Julie Ganzin returns to the same places depicted by early photographers to reveal how these locations are still used as generic landscapes where people often spend their leisure time. Photo: © Julie Ganzin

5 of 7 Guy Raz's pictures show deserted beaches in Tel Aviv and Gaza. Photo: © Guy Raz

6 of 7 Vesna Pavlovic uses images by an unknown photographer which were taken on the beach in 1931 at Selsnic in former Yugoslavia. Photo: © Vesna Pavlovic

7 of 7 Mediterranean: Between Reality and Utopia opens at the Photographers Gallery in London on 13 August. Photo: © Christophe Bourguedieu