Artist David Roytman has taken to making art by drawing on his past in the IDF and serving in Operation Defensive Shield – and not just as inspiration, but by literally using an assault rifle.
That is the focus of his new art exhibit "Make Art Not War," which will be shown at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem.
This form of abstract art is his own invention, with pistols, rifles and even tanks being used to blast bags of paint onto the canvas.
It is a stark departure from the art he is already known for. The 42-year-old Roytman has been dubbed the "Jewish Louis Vuitton," and has even founded a Judaica brand with dreams of turning it into luxury fashion.
Called "David Roytman Luxury Judaica," he sells a wide variety of products ranging from kippot to mezuzot to megilla cases, puzzles and even dumbbells. But as the name luxury implies, everything in Roytman's catalog is quite expensive. However, selling kippot for thousands of dollars was something he succeeded in, and now he boasts galleries on three continents.
“My entry into the world of art began with Judaica,” he explained in a statement. “I was drawing from the time I was old enough to lift a pencil, but my original creations – luxury kippot – were born out of my frustration in seeing men dressing to the hilt but wearing a rag on their head that they called a kippah. It was absurd to see them wearing designer suits, starched shirts and Ferragamo shoes – with five-dollar kippahs, a garment that should be the Jewish badge of honor. It was something that I badly wanted to change, although at the time, I didn’t know how or what.”
But his latest art is considerably more unconventional, but it does have a purpose, expressing his military experiences and healing from the trauma of war.
Roytman had served in the IDF during Operation Defensive Shield, just four months after his honorable discharge from the army.
“I’d been planning on making the most of my newly-reclaimed civilian status with a months-long trek across South America like the rest of my buddies. But when the IDF calls, you come,” he explained, recalling being back in uniform holding an assault rifle in a Palestinian refugee camp in Jenin as part of the 5th Brigade's reconnaissance battalion, which suffered heavy losses in the war.
“Not a day passes that I don’t reflect upon the dark events that took place in the refugee camp in Jenin. It’s been 20 years already, but I remember it like yesterday,” Roytman said.
And just as the art has helped him heal from trauma, Roytman hopes he can help others heal too. That is why he plans on using all proceeds from artwork sold to help raise awareness of veterans struggling with trauma.