In English, the same verb “to shoot” is used to describe taking a photograph and firing a gun. Lavi Lifshitz, a fighter in Sayeret Givati, was both a soldier and a photographer. He went everywhere armed with a rifle and a camera.
Lavi, 20, was the first Israeli soldier to be killed in ground maneuvers in Gaza. He left behind a collection of more than 141,000 photographs arranged in folders.
In an essay he submitted in 11th grade, some three years before he was killed at the entrance to Gaza in the beginning of the Israel-Hamas War, he wrote the following:
“Today, the craft of photography seems simple, even too simple. Pressing a button will create the record forever, or until the record is erased.
“Absurdly, the unbearable simplicity of digital photography is what brings me to thinking about the image, about composition and content.
“I define documentation as a work of art, and by doing so I use the camera as a brush that paints faster.
“My photography is an obsession: I walk around with my camera all day long in search of similar shapes, similar colors, and repetition.
“Along with these elements, I tend to search for quiet chaos.”
The world through his lens
Lavi was gifted a professional camera at the age of 12, and through it he saw the world. With infinite curiosity, he sought to touch the essence of life.
His camera never left him, whether at home, at school, or in the army.
Lavi’s photographs move between fragments of the reality of human simplicity to the pure beauty of abstract art, capturing simple and everyday moments from a transparent reality and elevating them to a clear and sensual state. This creates a feeling of some secret seeking to be revealed – the connection between the fleeting moment and its eternity.
As a young man observing the world, Lavi sees the harsh reality present but does not lose his romantic fantasy or sense of humor, which gives the images a message of hope and optimism.
It is not possible to define Lavi. He creates compositions out of order and chaos, control vs randomness, tenderness vs roughness, beauty vs ugliness, and childish monastic innocence vs erotic seduction.
One thing is clear about Lavi through his photography: As an artist and as a person, he loved life and was able to make those around him fall in love with the art and the artist.
Lavi was a unique photographer. He can be compared to other great artists and measured by their scale. They touched the mystery of existence, and even though the fuse of their earthly lives burned out early, the imprint of their spirit will remain long after them.
Lavi’s photographic legacy is a hard drive filled with eight years of photography, amounting to 141,681 photos. A selection of Lavi’s work is on show to the public for the first time.
The exhibition A Camera and a Boy, on display at the Djanogly Art Gallery in Jerusalem, seeks to bring to light the unique worldview of a young genius, a playful and diligent prodigy, with the wisdom of an old Zen sage, and a message of love, inspiration, and creation.