Quick Facts
Biography
Gil Lavi (Hebrew: גיל לביא; born 1985) is an Israeli photographer who lives in New York. He has won international photography awards for his work, which spans photojournalism, editorial and advertising projects. In 2009 he was listed by Forbes as one of the 300 most successful and promising Israelis under 40.
Early life and career
Gil Lavi was born in Jerusalem and raised in Yavne. He is the son of a Tunisian mother and a Czech father and began publishing his writing and photography in his early teens. By the age of 16, he was working for newspapers, including the Israeli daily Maariv.
After three years' compulsory military service, Lavi injured his knee during training and was reassigned as head of still photography for the Israel Defense Forces, serving under three chiefs of the ground forces.
Commercial and photojournalism projects
Lavi opened a photographic studio in Tel Aviv in 2006 and undertook projects for a variety of commercial clients, such as Knorr and Orange. At the same time, he continued to pursue his photojournalism and documentary work. His City of War project about the town of Sderot, close to the Gaza border featured on national TV. Subsequently, Lavi attracted international attention for an Israel AIDS Task Force pro bono health information campaign that won a 2010 International Loupe Award. He has also produced images for the Brand Israel advertising campaign.
In 2011, Lavi relocated to New York, continuing to work on commercial, documentary and portrait photography. His portrait subjects have included Jay Hunter Morris, Mitt Romney and Natalie Jeremijenko. He has also made a video for Israeli actress Sarai Givaty.
Awards
- 2012 International Photography Awards (IPA) – five awards in Fine Art, Lifestyle, Architecture and Panoramic categories
- 2012 Bronze Pano award
- 2010 International Loupe Award in Commercial, Advertising & Fashion Photography
Exhibitions
2013
- Month of Photography Los Angeles, Robert Berman Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
- TLV Photo Fair, Tel Aviv, Israel
2012
- Laurie M. Tisch Gallery, New York, NY
- New York Photo Festival, Feast Your Eyes, New York, NY
- Israel's 2nd International Photo Festival, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Month of Photography Los Angeles, One Shot: The City, Los Angeles, CA
- ^
- Goldman, Barbara (2012-10-10). "Gil Lavi Presents American Mirror". Pdnonline.com. Retrieved 2013-08-31.
- http://www.mopla.org/programs/?type=1&year=2012 MOPLA Month of Photography Los Angeles: Exhibitions | Discussions | Projections | Events