An art exhibition bringing together artists from across the country’s Jewish, Druze, and Arab communities to support lone soldiers opened in Tel Aviv on May 1.
Titled A Plate of Hope and Color, the benefit exhibition held a star-studded gala opening for participating artists and friends of the Lone Soldier Center in Memory of Michael Levin.
Among the participants were some former lone soldiers, as well as prominent artists and musicians, such as Michal Rovner, Ivri Lider, Yair Garbuz, David D’Or, Micha Ullman, Riki Gal, Michel Kichka, Einat Sarouf, and Nirit Takele.
The project, an initiative of the center’s president Drorit Nitzani, brought together Ronit Reik as curator and Israeli fashion designer Tami Chomski to design the exhibition.
The display features works created by the artists on white ceramic plates. The use of plates was chosen as a symbol of home. A plate represents a family meal and a place at the table – things that lone soldiers cannot take for granted.
Avi Miller, a former lone soldier recently returned from reserves, with his piece ‘The King’s Son and I,’ at Tel Aviv’s Uri Lifshitz Studio. (credit: Elad Navon/The Lone Soldier Center in Memory of Michael Levin)
The works in the exhibition span a wide range of artistic styles and techniques, from photography and drawing to realist and abstract painting.
Reik explained to the guests that “the circular format of the plate offers both limitation and freedom, a defined frame that still allows for deeply personal expression, echoing the spirit of the exhibition itself: a collective act of giving, shaped by individual voices.”
Takele, one of the contributing artists, is a rising star among the younger generation of Israeli artists. Born in Ethiopia, she is a contemporary figurative painter exploring heritage, migration, and identity.
Respecting people who served in the IDF
“The IDF protects Israel’s people,” she said. “As someone who served, I deeply respect anyone who chooses to defend this country, especially lone soldiers who come from abroad or serve without family here. If I can support them through my art, I do so wholeheartedly.”
In addition to the week-long exhibition, the plates are being sold through an online catalogue, with proceeds going to programs for lone soldiers before enlistment, during their IDF service, and after discharge.
Avi Miller, 30, a student of art and education, was born in Jerusalem to a haredi family. As a teenager, he chose to leave yeshiva and enlist in the IDF. His contributed piece is titled The King’s Son and I.
“When I was offered the opportunity to present a piece in this exhibition, it was an opportunity for me to give back to the Lone Soldier Center in memory of Michael Levin, which was a second home to me for a long time,” he said. “It is a place that supported me and pushed me to succeed.
“When people help you during difficult moments, it teaches you the value of giving.”
Nitzani, who first came up with the idea for the exhibition, stated: “There is an extraordinary mosaic of creators here, from some of the biggest names in Israel to artists who work quietly, with huge hearts. Painters, sculptors, ceramicists, graphic designers, singers, and everyone for whom art is part of who they are.
“This is more than an exhibition. A Plate of Hope and Color is a public statement to lone soldiers: You are not alone.”