BigEyes Design
31 Rothschild Blvd. Room 35
Tel Aviv 66883
Israel
t: +972 3 560 5850
m: +972 54 530 7229
e: lahav@bigeyes.co.il
Dear Dan,
I hope you’ll find this short explanation about my work sufficient.
All the “Double Words” works (01-25) are part of an exhibition I had:
“High Holidays” - Single show, opened September 11, 2002. Tel Aviv.
Part of it was re-xehibited two years later in the art gallery of the BeerSheba Uni., under the curation of
Haim Maor, and was called “Double Fantasy”.
Last July I exhibited a ”refurbished” version of 10 pieces (including this new one, attached here), in a
gallery in Tel Aviv. called “Two Steps backward”
Of the English ones, Sharon-Stone and Game-Boy had quiet a success in poster biennals around the
world. All these Prints were 112x84 cm in the first version, and 140x100 in the second one.
Re the Hebrew: larger parts of my work is based on cultural and literal context. I use many Nursery
Rhymes, common biblical phrases and street language. All these I usually “bend” to meet my needs. I
work very fast, and if an idea doesn’t come to its conclusion within 10 minutes (including finding the
right image) then I usually quit it.
I think it is rather difficult to translate my work. I happen to give a presentation of it to two groups of
visitors from Harvard last year, in English, and had to use a lot of words in order to explain the cultural
background of each work.
Anyway, here are some:
(14) 9-11 - Top - Pregnant belly, bottom - the hijacking and killing of the 11 Israeli sportsmen in
Munich Olympic games, 1972. “The 11 Sportsmen” became a well use phrase in Hebrew.
(21) Mishcanot Sha’ananim - Mishcanot is residency, Sha’ananim is arrogant, Mishcanot Sha’ananim is
a famous historical neighborhood in Jerusalem, the first one to be built outside the Old City, some 150
years ago.
(20) Shalva U’Bitachon - a Blessing, meaning “Peacefulness and safety (or feeling secure)”. The word
“Shalva”, which stands for peacefulness, is also the name of a local cereal, which became a sort of pop
icon. The “Bitachon” (safety, security) part needs no explanation.
(18) Ha’Ikar HaBrioot - The phrase as a whole means: “Most important - the Health”, a “Polish (Jewish)
mother” expression. “Ha’Ikar”, which stands for “the most important” appears here in misspelling which
turns it to be - “the farmer”, Referring to the other half of the life of Arik Sharon, who is shown in the
photo with a lamb around his shoulders. The bottom photo shows a young Palestinian boy who was
hurt by the IDF, written on him is “good health”.
Other posters:
(25B) Pa’amaim Chai (Eighteen - twice 18, or alive - twice) - You probably know that Chai is 18. This is
for 36 years of the Six days war. These are, of course, Rabin and dayan, both are not alive any longer.
(26) Chaver, Shachachnu (Friend, We Forgot) - The first poster I did for comemorating the assasination
of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995. This was for the 6th annual day, the year I got back from NY (I
lived there when he was killed).
I do such a poster every year since. I print it in 500 copies, and give it for free in Rabin Square the
night of the gathering, with my twin kids how are noe 10 years old. I see it as a civil action. 8 years so
far.
BigEyes Design
31 Rothschild Blvd. Room 35
Tel Aviv 66883
Israel
t: +972 3 560 5850
m: +972 54 530 7229
e: lahav@bigeyes.co.il
(27) Ma Rabin She Eynam Kvar Beinenu - Based on the most popular camaraderie song of the
Independence war (1948), which usually says “Ma Rabim etc”. The line means something like: “Oh, how
many of them that are not among us any longer”. Many is Rabim in Heb. Rabim - Rabin, it went quiet
good.
(28) Kvar Shana, Lo Hirgashnu Kim’at - (“Its been a year, we hardly noticed”) (and it goes on: “how
the dead passed through our fields”) Actually it’s another verse from the same most popular camaraderie
song of the Independence war (1948), I used the verse nine times, for the 9th year..
(29) Haya Eser - Rabin’s 10th annual. “It Was 10” is a phrase in Hebrew which means it was excellent
(or super), this one is cynical.
(29B) Aba Sheli Rotze’ach - (my dead is a killer) Rabin’s 11th annual. After assasin Yigal Amir was
permitted to have sexual intercourse with his new wife in order to have a kid. My daughter drew it for
me at 7 years old.
(29C) Asur Lirtzo’ach Rosh Memshala - (It Is Forbidden to Kill a Prime Minister) Rabin’s 12th annual.
Well, now assasin Yigal Amir already had a son. the writing is by my son this time.
(29D) 13 - Rabin’s 13th annual. Self-explanatory, I guess.
(30) No Other Land - “I don’t have any other land (Country, Homeland)” is a very famous Israeli /
zionistic song. Translated to Arabic as if sang by Arabs, it changes it’s whole meaning. This was done for
Independence Day 2004.
(31A) Heaven, Hell of a Place - Independence Day 2005 poster.
(31B) Ismach El Yahud - Independence Day 2007 poster. Twist on the Arabic phrase “Itbach El Yahud”
(Slaughter all the Jews) while “Ismach” is “Be Happy”, ie: “Be Happy All The Jews”.
(31C) Independence Day 2008 poster. “An Arab dog, A Russian Whore, A Meniac Ashkenazi, A
Schwarze Chaye, Dirty Ethyopian and three Forign Workers go to the park to do BBQ... This is not a
beginning of a joke, this is the 60th Independence Day of the State of Israel.”
(32) “Saba Bishel Daysa” - The day after the assasination of the hamas leader Sheik Yassin in the Gaza
strip by Israeli forces, March 2004, Prime Minister Arik Sharon was satisfied as usual. Over his image
theres a word play on a famous nursery rhyme, which originally says “Grandma cooked grits”, this one
says “Grandpa cooked grits”, “grits” refers to something you can sink into, like mud.
(34) “Yeladim Be’Chufsha yesahaku tofeset bein ha’bait le’vein ha’sadot” - Rosh Hashana 2001.
Another very Optimistic Israeli song: Kids on a Holiday will play catch-me-if-you-can between the house
and the fields. Kids in the picture are from Gaza.
(35) “Aravi Tov” - (“A Good Arab”) The day Yaseer Arafat passed away. This is the first half of a nasty
street phrase in Heb: “A good Arab is a dead Arab”.
(36) “Ana Bahibac” (in Arabic) - This is actually the only commercial poster in this batc. Done for
Valentines Day 2006, for a restaurant in Tel Aviv. It says “I Love You”.
(45) “Funny You Should Mention” - Holocaust memorial day 2006.
(46) “Kol Germania Chaverim” - (“All Germany are Friends”) Holocaust memorial day 2007. Based on
the Talmudic phrase “All Israel are Friends”.http://www.yesh-din.org/site/index.php?page=artevent4&lang=en From: bigeyes.express@gmail.com
Subject: Re: Shalom Lahav...I got the file and it opened...I will...
Date: March 3, 2010 1:48:14 AM EST
To: liberation@igc.orgHi Dan,
I did some writing and it's attached hereby.
Since I'm really not in focus at the moment, I reckon it's a bit messy, (and so is the batch of works I sent you yesterday, I now notice), but I guess it's a good starting point.
I send you the newer version of the double words posters too, I wrote something about it in the PDF.
I don't know Prof. Eric Zakim, but I know that the head of the department of Linguistics in Tel Aviv Uni. used my work in an article she wrote.
Anyway, step by step you'll get everything.
Best
Lahav
On Wed, Mar 3, 2010 at 6:48 AM, Dan Walsh wrote:
post many of them soon.
I understand you are pressed for time and we can wait till a more convenient time for you send more posters.
May I ask if you have English translations of your poster available?
If yes, that would make the uploading process go much more quickly and smoothly as it take me a loooooooooong time to get Hebrew translations done (I work with a wonderful Hebrew translator who is a fellow student of mine at Georgetown but, like me, he has classes and other obligations so it sometimes takes a while to get them done especially now that I have a great many Hebrew language posters to add to the site PLUS no one can interpret/translate/decode a poster quite like the author.
Often only the artist can tell the full, deep story of the symbolism and narrative of a poster.
Do you agree?
Thanks for responding. BTW, I learned about your work from Dr. Eric Zakim, a professor of Modern Hebrew at the University of Maryland.
best,
Dan
--
להב הלוי
עיניים גדולות, סטודיו לגרפיקה
שדרות רוטשילד 31, חדר 35
תל אביב
66883
054.530.7229
03.560.5850