Moving to Israel, like any emigration, is undoubtedly a bold step. New repatriates are forced to start life from scratch: looking for work, learning the language, and establishing new contacts. Not many people from the art sphere manage to earn a living with their art right away, but repatriate artists from the post-Soviet space who have recently arrived in Israel have definitely already made a name for themselves. Their works can be seen on the streets of Tel Aviv and in the private collections of affluent Israelis. 

You might stumble upon an underground performance "for insiders" at Tachana Merkazit, or see their works at huge art fairs attended by tens of thousands of people. They open galleries, art salons, and creative clusters throughout the city, help each other through difficult times, and together, strive to introduce their art to the entire country. Curators and art managers who once were in their shoes are now helping them along this journey.

Near the bustling Bloomfield Stadium in Jaffa at HaThiya 14 is a former industrial building turned into a creative cluster. The scale of art here really reaches industrial proportions: 10,000 square meters are home to 44 businesses, including artisan workshops and artists’ studios. One of these spaces, studio 212, houses the hub of KakdelArt, the platform for artists integration in Israel. (in Russian, "Kak Dela" means "how are you?"). This is all led by curator and art manager Dasha Ilyashenko, who repatriated to Israel in 2019 with a professional aspiration to open creative clusters. Dasha had been producing events and developing creative spaces in Israel for some time and was familiar with people from the Israeli art scene when Russia attacked Ukraine in February 2022.

This led to the formation of a chat group of like-minded artists that participated in the first exhibitions, which later turned into the KakdelArt project. Dasha and the participants of her project realized that they wanted to maintain the connections they had established and help "newcomers" exhibit in Israel. Initially, KakdelArt believed that they did not need their own space: exhibitions took place in various, already known Israeli art venues to attract as much diverse audience as possible, including giving native Israelis a chance to see the art of the Olim (new immigrants). Later, their own venue appeared. KakdelArt has occupied several spaces but the most notable venue, which made many people aware of the project, was a space in a historic building on Yefet 30: there, festivals combining different types of contemporary art were held, involving the Olim. During this time, the project's audience expanded: as Dasha admits, thanks to the noticeable location, more Israelis learned about the project. KakdelArt festivals also became interesting to local artists: Dasha invites them to participate in events, which helps the newcomers: locals share their knowledge, advice, and contacts with the Olim.

"Although our audience is predominantly Russian-speaking, we try to communicate in other languages to expand it," Dasha explains. "Israelis are curious about the work of artist-olim; for many, it seems unusual, often saying to us: "It's like abroad" this is the best compliment they can give us."

Indeed, the themes expressed by repatriate artists seem exotic or simply a fresh perspective on events to native Israelis. Themes often found in the works of Olim relate to their countries of origin, the experience of repatriation, adaptation in a new country, and the accompanying feeling of loneliness.

There are also themes associated not with hardships but with positive emotions. For instance, this summer, artist and art curator Vera Gailis, together with artist and researcher Anna Smolyarova, is planning to hold an exhibition about the place where every repatriate journey begins: the ulpan. In addition to paintings and installations, the exhibition will feature notes from textbooks, drawings in the margins of notebooks, and tables of verbs, which in the hands of a bored repatriate often turn into art. They have now opened an open call and are asking those studying in an ulpan or who have completed it to send in such art objects from their notebooks.

The KakdelArt community consists not only of Russian-speaking Olim: there are repatriates from the US, France, South Africa, and other countries. For example, curator and new immigrant Eva Glazer curated exhibitions by David Mottahedeh, Israeli-born, first generation of Iranian immigrants, and Edith Codegoni from Italy.

"We definitely want to become a platform for integrating artists from various countries, not only from the post-Soviet space," Dasha shares. "They will still make up the core of our community because it all started with them, but we are ready to integrate and collaborate with all Olim who want to join."

It would seem that such a large-scale project for integrating Olim in Israel should be supported by the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration. However, one should not yet hope for government sponsorship; since the outbreak of the war on October 7, budgets for supporting artist-Olim have been reduced. The founders of KakdelArt are hoping to establish a closer connection with the city administration, but for now, they are managing on their own.

Artists meet each other not only at parties and KakdelArt exhibitions. Recently, more influential social organizations have also joined in integrating creative people into the professional community. On April 16, One Million Lobby, an NGO that advocates for the rights of Russian-speaking Israelis and their representation in the country's political life, held an event The Networking Project, which invited recently arrived artists in Israel. The organization had previously held five similar events for representatives of other fields of activity — a total of about 400 people attended these events.

"For the artist community, it's probably the hardest to find a home in Israel in their field of expertise. It's much easier when you work in high tech. But in the cultural world, one faces a cultural understanding barrier. I believe that if you really want something, when you have a vision, you can do it here. It's not easy. But that's why we did this event," recounts Alex Rif, CEO of One Million Lobby. In addition to the Olim themselves, Israeli representatives of creative professions were invited to the networking event: actors, directors, artists, writers, and curators. The event started with a lecture by Vera Gailis on how an artist can obtain funding from various foundations, the municipality, and the state. The "youngest" participant in the networking had repatriated three months ago, but there were also those who had been in the country for only two years but were already performing as experts at the event. Thanks to networking, the Olim not only met each other but also established artists and Israelis sympathetic to their creative fate, known as "tzabars".

Keren Arazi, a mentor and business development consultant for designers and artists, attended The Networking Project organized by One Million Lobby to support Russian-speaking Olim Hadashim and offer them her assistance in navigating the Israeli art scene. At the event, she offered a free mentoring session for the participants as a gift. Karen shares that:
"Becoming an artist is challenging for someone born and raised in israel, so I can only imagine how daunting it must feel for an oleh hadash." 

"I can honestly say that I have a deep admiration for Olims from Russia. They bring with them a commitment to high standards, strong work ethics, and a solid education. Israeli artists often lack this legacy, whereas Russian artists come with a rich tradition, knowledge, and skills. It's this blend of artistic soul and work ethic that makes mentoring them so rewarding for me. They are eager to learn and grow." In her role, Keren focuses on bridging the gap between the artistic vision and the business aspects of art: negotiating, pricing, positioning, branding, marketing, and communication, all aimed at helping artists succeed in the competitive art market.

"It's about nurturing talent, building resilience, and understanding the evolving dynamics of the art market"​​​​​​​

Keren believes that today, amidst current circumstances, there are significantly more opportunities for Olim in the art sphere compared to the past (such as during the '90s wave of immigration to Israel). During the 1990s Aliyah, artists had to create more in survival mode, while modern Olim artists now have more opportunities to showcase themselves in the art world.

The Israeli art scene needs new participants as much as they need it. So believes curator and artist Ela Cohen, who has been living in Israel since 1997. From the beginning of her career, Ela has been keen to meet new repatriates and do joint projects with them, and after the start of the war in Ukraine and the Aliyah that resulted from these events, her curatorial work with Olim has taken on greater proportions. 

In April 2022, together with a new repatriate, founder of the cultural platform SNOB TLV Anton Sazonov, Ela Cohen launched the project Creators:  a residency platform where artists, directors, writers-repatriates from Ukraine and Russia could work and make a name for themselves in Israel.

A major art project last year for the curator was DIALOG:  an exhibition of 16 artist-Olim from Ukraine and Russia at the largest art fair, Fresh Paint. More than 40,000 people visited the fair in a week, which, in Ela's opinion, gave an incredible boost to the recently arrived artists. For instance, two artists who participated in the DIALOG project, Karina Rakshin and Maria Kupershmidt, are now exhibiting at exhibitions in Barcelona, including at the Museum of Modern Art in The MEAM Hall. Wealthy Israelis also notice the works of Ela Cohen's project residents, who buy repatriates' works for private collections.

Another unifying project headed by Ela is the exhibition marking the 125th anniversary of Golda Meir, where she served as co-curator. More than 50 portraits of the prime minister were presented at the exhibition. Participants included new repatriates from Ukraine and Russia.

"This is definitely a fresh perspective and an opportunity to delve deeper. Every repatriate who becomes part of our country forms an opinion about the political situation, about themselves within the country, and this process that each of us goes through can be more involved in the life of the country, or less so. In the exhibition, both people who knew Golda and those who only arrived participated. Each brings their own opinion, which allows for a more complex portrayal of this historical person," Ela told RTVI in an interview.

The works of an earlier repatriate, Stepa Aifo, are seen daily by residents of old Jaffa and Tel Aviv: he is an urban artist, and his canvases are the walls. Twirls, intertwinings, knots, ornaments, and animal motifs are reminiscent of ancient totems. Religious people (both in Russia and in Israel) may see in them pagan symbols or some kind of impurity; tattoo studios and even municipal institutions decorate their facades and premises with them. Stepa repatriated to Israel in 2018. In Yekaterinburg, from where he came, he had his own street art gallery and a musical group. He is recognized and invited as an artist for various projects: both commercial and community-based. But according to Stepa, his recognizable style was formed precisely in Israel, when he participated in the Masa project five years ago.

"Before coming to Israel, I had sketches, but my technique and style crystallized here. In Yekaterinburg, I was constantly involved in curatorial projects, managing my gallery, events, it turns out, there was not much time that I could devote only to my art. Here, during the program, I was able to relax and exhale, just walk and draw and not think about anything else," Stepa shares.

In Jaffa, you can still find his first site-specific works, which were created before Stepa found his style. Dedicating all his free time to art, even then Stepa began to earn his living with his art and became noticeable to people both from the art sphere and the business: his hand in Israel has painted studios, hostels, public municipal centers, music clubs, and beverage packaging. Now in the Azrieli TC, you can encounter his work work in 3D, in the form of an inflatable fountain.

After repatriation, Stepa regularly returned to Russia, where he participated in various art projects as an artist and curator and continued to paint his hometown. For example, during COVID, work in Russia (namely in Yekaterinburg, where COVID measures were not as strict) was more productive. But after recent events, Stepa realized that he could no longer work in Russia as before. In March of this year, in many cities in Russia, law enforcement officers conducted mass searches and interrogations of artists and activists, from which Stepa's close friends and colleagues suffered. Journalists claim that the searches may be related to a case of "state treason" against activist, journalist, and action artist Pyotr Verzilov, who is now fighting on the side of Ukraine.

Dasha from KakdelArt cites Stepa Aifo one of the few artist-Olim who did not work out of profession for a single day after repatriation but immediately began to earn with his art. However, in the modern Russian-speaking art scene, there are also those who started their art career from scratch after repatriation.

Polina Liakhovitskii is, like Stepa, from Yekaterinburg. She was born in Israel, but her parents moved back to Russia when she was not even a year old. A year and a half ago, she returned to Israel and joined KakdelArt. Like many artist-repatriates, Polina did not have problems with identity restructuring: she considers herself an Israeli artist, as this is where she began to engage in art. According to Polina, she was immediately captivated by the accessible, open, and creative environment.

One of Polina's notable curatorial projects is the installation "Dissecting Loneliness" by repatriate artist Katya Frucht. The work was exhibited at the three-day KakdelArt festival in the port of Jaffa in February-March 2024. In her work, the artist addresses the experience of loneliness, which is a common denominator for many repatriates: "Loneliness is an amazing gift, accepting which, a person gains freedom," the curatorial statement says. The work consists of two objects: a textile of a dissected frog and a table with a samovar, served in the spirit of a traditional Russian tea party.

After the outbreak of the war on October 7, another Olim art project appeared: artist and art manager Anastasia Branitskaia and her partner Teo launched JAFFA ART SESSIONS. Art Sessions take place in a 19th-century house in Old affa, which housed an art gallery a decade ago. Guests of Art Sessions come to a house as if to an art gallery and plunge into the history, aesthetics, and atmosphere that Anastasia and Teo create at Art Sessions. The project can be called therapeutic: it helps to cope with stress, discover your talent, and even look at your creativity from a different angle.

Both Anastasia and Teo repatriated in 2022 after Russia's invasion of Ukraine and met each other for the first time in Israel. Anastasia was a member of an artist duo, had exhibitions in art galleries and participated with her paintings in art auctions in Moscow. Teo was the founder of a ceramic studio. During their first years in Israel, they already met many people of art, both new immigrants and those who were born in Israel. The first participants of Art Sessions were Olim friends from different countries: Ukraine, Russia, USA, Guatemala, Brazil, and Italy. Over time, native Israelis, as well as tourists, became interested in the project: among them are those who are not associated with art but are interested in integration into the creative life of Tel Aviv. Most often, Art Sessions are held in English, which is convenient for everyone.

Now the guys are thinking about developing their own art salon and perhaps even opening a gallery. Anastasia, who recently worked in art management, plans to exhibit her works and works of other artists. 

Six months ago, a feeling of confusion and a desire to help others helped Olim unite on an art platform. According to Teo, it all started on the first days of the war, when he and Anastasia decided to look for volunteer groups where they could be helpful.

“Although creativity actually helps a lot psychologically, you shouldn’t forget about it,” adds Anastasia. “We were also invited to the hotel where the displaced people live, and we held an Art Session for the children. We wanted to add something good and colorful to their days in a new and unfamiliar place”.

Tel Aviv will never be the same: with the new wave of Aliyah from the post-Soviet space, new, creative blood has flowed into the city at a furious speed, sweeping up all the previously vacant places, striving to turn each empty wall, each abandoned or unattractive building into an art space. Believe me, you encounter the creativity of Olim every day, even if you don't realize it.