Ilia Yefimovich

Ilia Yefimovich
Ilia Yefimovich
Born	1988 (age 37–38) Moscow, Soviet Union (now Russia)
Citizenship	Israel and Russia
Alma mater	Minshar College for Art (Tel Aviv)
Occupations	Documentary photographer, Photojournalist, Curator, Educator
Website	https://ilia-yefimovich.com/

Ilia Yefimovich (born 1988) is a Russian-born Israeli documentary photographer and photojournalist known for his extensive coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, social issues, and territorial conflicts across Russia and the Middle East. ^[1] His work, often characterized by an empathetic and observational style, has been featured by major news agencies and exhibited internationally. ^{[2] [3]}

Career

Ilia Yefimovich’s professional career in photojournalism began in the mid-2000s, focusing heavily on regions defined by geopolitical tension and conflict. ^[4] He served as a staff photographer for the Russian News agency ITAR TASS from 2009 to 2014, where he covered the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He later worked as a freelance photographer for Getty Images (2011–2017), German Press Agency (DPA) (2017-2025). He is a staff photographer for Agence France-Presse from November 2025. His photographs frequently appear in international publications, documenting day-to-day life alongside significant news events. ^[5] Yefimovich co-founded "The Archive Magazine," an Israeli platform dedicated to promoting and showcasing documentary photography. He has shared his expertise by teaching photography at the Minshar art school and the Massa Jewish Agency, and has served as a curator for the Local Testimony exhibition in Israel from 2025. ^[6]

Awards

• 2011. POYI (Picture of the Year International): Award of Excellence for Spot News and Finalist Award for impact (Gaza-Israel). ^[7]
• 2011. Local Testimony: Winner of the "Photo of the Year"
• 2011. Lead Award (Germany): Photo of the Year.
• 2013. International Arte Laguna Prize: 1st place in the Under 25 category (Venice, Italy). ^[8]
• 2023. Roi Idan Prize for War Coverage.
• 2024. POY Asia: First Place in General News.
• 2024. Uri Avnery Award For Courageous Journalism.

Exhibitions

Solo

Selected Solo Exhibitions

Year	Title	Location	Notes
2010	Thought observing Palestina	Israeli Cultural Center, Moscow, Russia
2012	Searching Mode : Landscape #001	Tavi Gallery, Tel-Aviv, Israel
2013	Portraits in the Landscape	Moscow Museum of Modern Art (MMOMA), Moscow, Russia	Part of the Photo Biennale.
2014	Searching Mode: Recreation	Tel-Aviv Opera, Tel-Aviv, Israel
2014	Baked Land	Fab-Lab Gallery, Tel-Aviv, Israel
2014	Once upon a time there was a light, light so bright that no one could see	Agripas 12 Gallery, Jerusalem, Israel
2015	Reliance	Minshar Gallery, Tel-Aviv, Israel
2015	Hard To Remember	Art-Villa Gallery, Tuscany, Italy
2016	Once upon a time there was a light…	Photo-Bibleoteka, Art-Play, Moscow, Russia
2016	A-Local	Tsekh Gallery, Kyiv, Ukraine
2016	A-local	Froots Gallery, Shanghai, China	Focuses on his work regarding territory and conflict.
2017	A-local	Froots Gallery, Beijing, China
2019	in-diebus-illis	Rotterdam Photography Festival, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2020	paradox-of-apocalypse	Rotterdam Photo Festival, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2021	in-diebus-illis [9]	Perm, Russia
2025	Dairy of War [10]	Rotterdam Photography Festival, Rotterdam, Netherlands	Exhibit documenting the Israel-Gaza conflict (2023–2024).

Group

• 2011 – Graduation exhibition, Minshar Gallery, Tel Aviv, Israel. ^[11]
• 2012 – Group show, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom. ^[11]
• 2012 – Foto8 Summer Show, Foto8 Gallery, London, United Kingdom. ^[11]
• 2012 – III Moscow International Biennale for Young Art, Moscow, Russia. ^[11]
• 2013 – 7th Arte Laguna Prize exhibition (Under 25), Venice, Italy. ^[11]
• 2013 – IAAB residency exhibition, Basel, Switzerland. ^[11]
• 2013 – Liquid Borders group exhibitions, Gdynia, Poland, and venues in Romania. ^[11]
• 2013 – 10th‑anniversary exhibition, Local Testimony, Eretz Israel Museum, Tel Aviv, Israel. ^[11]
• 2014 – Group exhibition, Laura Haber Art Gallery, Buenos Aires, Argentina. ^[11]
• 2014 – Liquid Borders, MECA, Spain. ^[11]
• 2015 – Untitled, Untitled Gallery, Barcelona, Spain. ^[11]
• 2015 – Tel Aviv Photo Fair, Port Gallery, Jaffa, Israel. ^[11]
• 2016 – PhotoBook Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia. ^[11]
• 2016 – Tabellae Innocentium, International Photography Festival, Jaffa, Israel. ^[11]
• 2016 – A‑Local, Shanghai Photo Fair, Shanghai, China. ^[11]
• 2017 – Without Borders, Circle1 Gallery, Berlin, Germany. ^[11]
• 2017 – Kolga Award exhibition, Tbilisi, Georgia. ^{[11] [12]}
• 2018 – Le forme dell’attesa, Spazio Don Chisciotte, Fondazione Bottari Lattes / Areacreativa42, Turin, Italy. ^{[13] [14] [15]}
• 2018 – Transform Europe, Vienna, Austria. ^[11]
• 2018 – Stand P26, CMB, London Art Fair, London, United Kingdom. ^[11]
• 2024 – South Album, Petah Tikva Museum of Art, Petah Tikva, Israel. ^[11]
• 2024 – October 7 (October Seventh), ANU – Museum of the Jewish People, Tel Aviv, Israel. ^{[16] [17] [18]}

References

1. "Ilia Yefimovich". HonestReporting. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
2. "Ilia Yefimovich". Sillk Gallery. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
3. "Ilia Yefimovich". AINT—BAD. 2016-04-30. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
4. "Of chickens, fishes and sins". Correspondent. 2016-10-11. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
5. "Interview: Ilia Yefimovich". ITSLIQUID. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
6. "Local Testimony 2025". Eretz Israel Museum. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
7. "Ilia Yefimovich". Pictures of the Year Asia. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
8. "Israeli photographer receives int'l award for Silwan photo | The Jerusalem Post". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2011-02-14. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
9. "Израильский фотограф Илья Ефимович представил свои работы в Нижнем Тагиле". smotrim.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2025-12-12.
10. "Ilia Yefimovich". Rotterdam Photo. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
11. Eretz Israel Museum, artist CV (PDF).
12. Kolga Tbilisi Photo, artist page.
13. Fondazione Bottari Lattes, Le forme dell’attesa exhibition text.
14. Different Magazine, coverage mentioning Ilia Yefimovich.
15. DiariodelWeb Torino, events listing including Le forme dell’attesa.
16. ANU – Museum of the Jewish People, October Seventh exhibition page.
17. ANU – development site version of October Seventh.
18. Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, October Seventh: A Visual and Sound Journey program.

Notes

• X, FUJIFILM (2019-04-18). "Ilia Yefimovitch | X-Photographers | FUJIFILM X Series & GFX - Finland" (in Finnish). Retrieved 2025-12-12.
• Wille, Belkis (2024-07-17). ""I Can't Erase All the Blood from My Mind"". Human Rights Watch.
• elad (2024-03-14). "Security Planning for Postwar Gaza". The Jerusalem Strategic Tribune. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
• "Ilia Yefimovich - Blink Network". Blink. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
• "Ilia Yefimovich". COCA PROJECT | Open calls for artists. Retrieved 2025-12-12.