Eliyahu


I am an internationally shaped artist, formed by constant movement, layered cultures, and a restless curiosity about the world. Born in Paris to Israeli parents, my life began in motion and never stopped. Raised between continents, languages, and belief systems, I grew up navigating borders both geographic and internal.

My early childhood unfolded in Israel before continuing across Asia and Europe. I spent formative years in Bangkok at the International School Bangkok, later returning to Israel and then relocating to New Delhi, India; a place that unexpectedly echoed my own heritage. My Jewish lineage traces back to Kerala in southern India, following a family journey shaped by exile during the Spanish Inquisition. This convergence of histories, Jewish, European, Middle Eastern, and Indian, deeply informs my identity and worldview.

Adolescence brought another transition to Madrid, Spain, where I completed the International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB Diploma) at International College Spain. Living and learning across cultures cultivated my bilingualism, social openness, and an acute sensitivity to contrast, adaptation, and emotional nuance. Elements that continue to surface in my work. I later earned a degree in Business at Reichman University, grounding my global perspective within a diverse international community while further sharpening my observational instincts.

My artistic practice originates in childhood, where drawing became both refuge and language. I was constantly sketching, often focusing on eyes, while observing moments of unspoken connection in classrooms and shared spaces. I became fascinated by the way a single glance could reveal emotion, distance, vulnerability, or recognition. Eyes became my first understanding of nonverbal communication - small, intricate structures capable of holding vast emotional worlds.

This early obsession evolved into a central visual motif within my work. Through repetition and instinctive motion, drawing eyes became almost automatic, an extension of perception itself. Over time, my practice expanded from drawing into painting, allowing the gaze to transform across mediums, scales, and styles.

My work today is rooted in contemporary, conceptual painting that merges emotional content with visual form. It navigates between realism, geometric abstraction, and pure abstraction, using the eye as both subject and symbol.The Eyes series investigates themes of identity, perception, and the human gaze. Exploring how we see, how we are seen, and what remains unspoken in between.

Color plays a critical role in my practice, often guided by intuition and emotional resonance rather than strict representation. Bold contrasts, saturated hues, and layered textures reflect the intensity of lived experience across cultures, movement, and memory. As a Jewish artist shaped by many worlds, I create from the intersections where histories overlap and personal narrative becomes universal. Inviting the viewer into a moment of shared awareness, recognition, and presence.

Artist Statement

My journey as an artist changed profoundly after a life-altering traffic accident in which I was briefly declared clinically dead. That experience became a catalyst for exploring themes of rebirth, resilience, and the transient beauty of existence. It also led me to publish a book reflecting on the accident and its impact on my life. Through vivid color and layered symbolism, I create art that encourages contemplation and meaningful conversation.