About Me

Hi,

My name is Shalom Dov Sofer – artist, painter and sculptor, living at the edge of the Judean Desert and producing inspired creations in my Jerusalem studio

A little words about myself in a personal and artistic look.

I’m 44 years old, a husband and father of four children – dedicated to an artistic path in my life, creator for more than 20 years now. 

I was born into a traditional ultra-Orthodox family with little acceptance or support for art and culture. Over the years (Since I was in third grade), I began to nurture a strong desire to draw and paint. The early, relatively amateur hobby eventually evolved into an inspirational craft that’s become a very integral part of my heart, soul and mind.

I completed art curriculum studies and graduated from the Sapir University in southern Israel, in 2009.

 Everything else I’ve learned,  was through the Trial and error developed, has been an entirely self-taught endeavor.

My love for the land of Israel and natural attraction to its earth materials eventually led me to engage my work with the elements of sand, soil, concrete and earth substances That were excavated from the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. My fascination with these materials increased with the trait of the hard material, which becomes thin, spiritual, fragile, hard, and delicate

Creating with the earth materials is a thrilling and mysterious process for me. Beginning with the raw materials, I can never know in advance the extent of the results that will be achieved. Much like the breathtaking thrill of an archeological dig that reveals its secrets, layer by layer. Most gratifying, however, is the transformation of these raw materials into creations bearing a delicate spiritual essence that’s very dear to me and my people – and to peoples the world over.

My creations are an extension and reflection of the city of Jerusalem – of both its sacred and secular structures alike.

Jerusalem was my home for two decades ,And she fascinated me with its complexity. The singularity of Jerusalem; its historical structures and archeological revelations; and most significantly, its spirituality and sanctity that have attracted visitors of faiths and denominations from all over the world.

And above all, its sanctity to the Jewish people by whom Jerusalem has become known.

An integral part of my work has included extensive research into the underlying spiritual, mystical and abstract themes derived from the ancient land’s archeology, most evident in its ancient coins, discovered over decades throughout the Holy Land. For this reason, I infuse all my creations with soil extracted from excavations in the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, that would otherwise have been recklessly dispersed and discarded as insignificant waste.

Every inch of the land, every stone unearthed from it, every archeological excavation undertaken beneath its surface, informs of the millennia of history from which the Jewish people in the modern state of Israel emerged.

This is where it all began for us, and for the benefit of all peoples.

Shalom Dov Sofer

Jerusalem, 2021