Untitled (Purity) / Photograph / 2022

The portrait centers on a girl in military uniform, dark hair unbound, her eyebrows thick but well-groomed, her gaze facing us directly. Her clear skin, luscious lips, and khaki attire obviously place her in her early twenties. The pine needles that surround her seem to extend the Dacron fabric; polyester and organic thread interweave to create an evergreen world.

Her hair flies free, framing her face, but it should be gathered up while in uniform. Her nose is adorned with a shiny silver septum piercing, one of the most conspicuous body piercing possibilities. This too, obviously, is a non-regulation dress code violation.

A small item of jewelry, hair slightly mussed, and an unapologetic direct gaze: this violates the pre-set relationship between the uniform and its wearer. Here stands an option for individual existence within the rigid strictures of Israeli militarism, a small but necessary defiance.