The Israel Makov Award

The Israel Makov Most Promising Artist Award is given as a commendation for significant artistic creation, which embodies great potential for the future.

The award grants the artist NIS 20,000 for a solo exhibition at the next Freshpaint fair.

At the 2023 fair, the prize was awarded to the artist Shachaf Levy.

Shachaf Levy lives and works in Tel Aviv. B.F.A. in Fine Arts, Bezalel 2018 and M.F.A. in Fine Arts, Bezalel 2022.

Levy’s aesthetic lies between the archaeological and the digital. In his work he uses airbrush and fresco techniques in an attempt to unite a personal preoccupation with the holy and the profane, and collective experiences of violence, sexuality, love and heroism. His works are based on mythologies, including the book of Enoch and the stories of Gilgamesh, while also relying on science fiction, comics and popular culture.

He strives to create Israeli painting, which expresses a local aesthetic, with all it’s challenges and possibilities, while at the same time maintaining a universal quality and interest. He aims to convey a narrative that is specific and timeless.

The series of paintings presented at the fair deals with his childhood memories from Klil, an ecological community in northern Israel, and includes personal stories stripped down to archetypes of man and nature. The works were created in an airbrush grisaille technique, with layers of semi-transparent glazing.

The committee’s recommendation: Levy’s works is rooted here. The scenes are local, full of humor, give off a nostalgic scent and allude to Israeli painting traditions. His works are surprising and exciting; His choice to create using the airbrush technique associated with murals, vehicles and street culture evokes strong emotions and asserts them with additional meanings. The unique lumpy figures, the repetitious color palette and the bold choice to create a distinct and cohesive body of work made the committee unanimously choose Shachaf Levy to win the award.

Committee members:
Shulamit Nuss, curator of the Makov Collection
Revital Ben Asher Peretz, Culture and Art consultant to the Mayor of Tel Aviv-Jaffa
Yifat Gurion and Raz Shapira, the curatorial team of Freshpaint fair