On Womanhood, Tel Aviv And Identity: Dafy Hagai Chronicles Her Raw, Heartfelt Narrative

On Womanhood, Tel Aviv And Identity: Dafy Hagai Chronicles Her Raw, Heartfelt Narrative • Photo Gallery

If a photograph can grab your attention at first sight, then chances are it’s really, really good. Dafy Hagai’s commanding narrative on her practice has all the formula to fall into the higher reaches of contemporary visual storytelling. “I began my first photography works while studying visual communications in Tel Aviv,” she recalls. “A while back, I got introduced online to a community of female creatives, who encouraged us all to create work, and share with one another.” Part of Hagai’s creative process involves lifting female subjects from personal experiences and rendering them with complete honesty. The result creates a natural meditation on the female gaze and identity, with an approach that is soulful and expressive all at once. “Creating in a place where these communities didn’t really exist at the time, in real life, had it not been for the early online female creative community; I believe it would have resulted way more difficult to find a space to share my first works,” she says. 

Based in London, Hagai’s hushed photographs feel like a lifestyle anthology that document raw intimacy beyond the constraints of beauty politics—not an easy task, to say the least. “A lot of my previous work has dealt with coming-of-age subjects,” she says. “In recent projects, it’s become important for me to expand beyond portrayal of youth, and work with models of all ages”. Whilst avoiding mainstream representation and shining a light on various layers of vulnerability—with an approach that extracts softness of femininity—Hagai’s inclination for minimalism feels heavily peppered with emotional elements, joining the dots with the turmoil of our harrowing present. It’s a practice that hits the spot—no mean feat in the age of filters that frequently obstruct our inmost selves—while, most importantly, conveying ideas soon to be turned into flesh. “At the moment, I’m working on a new photobook that will be out this summer,” she reveals, “in which I’m exploring how different types of glam look like. I’m dealing with glam artistically and culturally, how it empowers women, and how it all connects to expressing female sexuality.” 

The inspiration for this project—still in the works, with its name to be revealed in time to come—came from the aesthetic and culture of different types of local glam, exploring how they can make women feel empowered, and how it connects to self-expression. “When I started working on it, I had focused on ‘mall’ glam, as I was using looks from an eccentric local designer who has a shop in a mall here,” she explains. “His looks referenced nineties and ‘00s fashion which, to me, is the golden time of fashion malls. The concept has developed since then and has different layers and meanings. It's still a work in process so I don't want to give away too many spoilers, but eyes peeled.” There is no arguing that Hagai is a promising fledging artist. She is meticulous at photographing, crafting thoughts, displaying her soulful, audacious subjects and such.

Hagai’s empowered vision also stretches to Pole Dancing in Haifa, a personal project she shot back in her birthplace, with an aim to immortalise a shift towards social change for women practicing this sport. “Since the pandemic, I've spent some time back home in Tel Aviv,” she says. “One of my close collaborators here, make-up artist Roza Shwartsman, introduced me to her pole dancing class in Haifa (a city in the north of Israel). The studio is owned by Sonia, who moved to Israel from Russia as a teenager. We went on to photograph the studio instructors, Sonia, Diana and Sharon. I found it inspiring that they view pole dancing as an athletic activity, in which they excel and compete in, but also as a way to express and feel themselves. I loved seeing them, as mature women, celebrating their sexuality and connecting with each other through this activity.”

Feats aside, Hagai has quite a thoughtful mind, too. “I hope more of our collective cultural experiences will be created by women across the media and the arts. I also hope to see a change in this world, in order to make it a kinder and safer place for everyone, as well as push these boundaries on a professional level.” Hold tight, she has the potential of becoming an even greater game-changer.

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