The series is a reflection based on artists experiences of  her research travels across the Middle East and the Mediterranean between 2005 and 2024.

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It is notably inspired by the book War Cut by Gerhard Richter, an example of real-time artistic reaction to war and the media coverage of events. In this context, she also deepened her reflection on childhood — one of the main themes of her artistic journey — as well as on trauma, tragedy, and the fleeting, lost happiness, a universal theme explored by writers from Marcel Proust to Vladimir Nabokov.

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Lisa adopts a pictorial aesthetic influenced by 20th-century figurative painting. Among her major influences are Balthus, Antonio López García, Edwin Dickinson, and Lennart Andersen. Like many Israeli artists from her group (Jerusalem Studio School), she views her work as a continuation of the ancient pictorial tradition. She explores the aesthetics of ancient Egypt, Greco-Roman frescoes, the Renaissance, and finally, French painting, while rejecting the culture of salons — particularly the 19th-century Paris Salon. She also rejects Orientalism or Neo-Academicism. Instead, she adheres to the pure, singular, and humble ideals of classical aesthetics.

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Lisa Izvozchikova’s creative process is based on daily immersion in news and the current context. She seeks to recreate and reimagine a typical day in the life of young girls, capturing their experiences and environments. Today, her work is grounded in memories of encounters with these girls in the 2000s. The reconstruction of these moments is accompanied by deep reflection and concern for their present.

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Bathers in Orientalism are always based on a sexualized depiction of beauty and an idealization of the female body. Nudity is placed in picturesque environments, primarily designed for the visual pleasure and amusement of the male viewer.

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In contrast to this objectification and idealization of the body, as well as the Western gaze on the Orient, often perceived as an exotic culture viewed externally and superiorly, Lisa Izvozchikova’s bathers embody a fantasy of simplicity and the fragility of childhood. They represent young girls in scenes taken from their daily activities. However, we observe these scenes for both practical and unexpected reasons. The girls depicted are, in fact, children from Bedouin communities in Sinai. They live in traditional conditions, distant from modernity, and rely on limited resources.

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From a Western perspective the scenes pose a troubling question: are these girls playing or bathing? We do not know, and no definitive answer can be given. They are depicted washing their hair with shampoo on the beach of maybe and more likely just playing with foam. Is this happening by choice or is it a necessity, due to a lack of water in their homes? Are they having fun, or are they in difficulty?​

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​Here, the artist invites us to reflect on the perception of reality, context, and the narratives of contemporary media.

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