Community work
After October 7th, the studio stopped being only a studio. Bar Ben Vakil began painting for people she had never met — soldiers, families, a country holding its breath. What follows is a record of that work: steel helmets turned to gold, a dove on a Tel Aviv billboard, a canvas hung inside the United Nations.
Chapter one · Brush Israel
Fifty-six artists were each handed a used IDF helmet. Bar painted two. The collection was auctioned in London as Art for Heroes, raising roughly $40,000 for trauma support for Israeli soldiers.
Lot #6
Painted in shock, with trembling hands, and dedicated to all the strong and broken hearts among us. A lion emerges through a tear in the gold; an olive branch curls around the crown.
“Israel is my soul — home, mother and father, my umbilical cord.”
Lot #32
The second helmet answered the first. Where terror had set the tone, Bar chose light instead: a wolf’s gaze, olive leaves, and the sculpted letters of Chai — life — rising out of the metal.
“Freedom is color, color is life, life is Chai — and Chai is all of us.”
Chapter two · Hope in public
In the aftermath of October 7th, Bar found herself in a place of profound darkness. Mercy’s Gate is the painting that returned her to life — emerging from heartbreak with a message of strength, of healing, of hope, filled with symbolism and words that reflect the spirit and soul of Jewish resilience.
50% of proceeds from this release go directly toward helping those impacted by the horrors of October 7th — families rebuilding their homes, restoring their sense of safety, and beginning the long journey of healing their minds, bodies and spirits.
Owning this piece means becoming part of that healing.
View the Mercy’s Gate editionKeep going
For collaborations with organisations, charity auctions, or community projects, the studio door is open.
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