Photographer Cadya Levy has spent the past five years documenting young Israelis who have embraced Lolita fashion, a Japanese subculture born in Harajuku that has grown into a global movement. The style spans multiple distinct aesthetics, from sweet and childlike designs to classic silhouettes inspired by the Rococo era, along with modern creative variations that developed over time. In Israel, Lolita first appeared in the early 2000s through online forums and anime conventions, gradually forming an organized and vibrant community.
Despite living in a country marked by conflict, tension, and constant uncertainty, the community refuses to pause. Instead, it demonstrates how creative spirit can persist even in difficult times. The participants build a world filled with imagination, color, and artistry, placing strong emphasis on optimism and joy. They meet regularly for community gatherings and tea parties, where friendships grow around fashion and shared interests.
Some members of the community also create illustrations, and Levy occasionally draws inspiration from their artwork as part of her ongoing visual research. Combined with years of personal encounters, conversations, and shared experiences, their creative worlds subtly enrich the photographic language of the project. Several images are also Levy’s own artistic interpretations like the multi-armed “goddess” composition, expressing the power, uniqueness, and confidence the fashion gives its wearers.
The contrast between the European-Japanese aesthetics of Lolita and Israeli landscapes deserts, beaches, fields, and crowded urban spaces creates a visual tension found nowhere else in the world. Levy describes her work with the community as an evolving artistic collaboration that has shaped new ways for her to explore identity, femininity, and beauty within a complicated social environment.
The project unfolds year-round across diverse locations, built through close collaboration with the participants on scenes, styling, and conceptual ideas. It also echoes global conversations about subcultures, self-expression, and the role of fantasy as a creative and social force. Today, the international Lolita community numbers hundreds of thousands across Europe, Asia, and beyond.
Levy continues to deepen the project, exploring additional sub-styles, expanding the visual language of the series, and developing a broader body of work intended for future exhibitions and printed publications.
The series will be presented as part of Edut Mekomit, from the 12.12 25 open for everyone alongside the work of 64 other photographers who documented Israel over the past year.