Gadi Dagon (1957-2021)
Born in Melbourne, he immigrated with his family to Israel in 1960. He started photographing at age 13 and was introduced to the photography world by his father, who was a camera technician and later Polaroid’s agent in Israel. Dagon served in the IDF as a photographer, and after his discharge worked as an assistant to photographers Gavra Mandil, Niko Estel and Ben Lahav.
In 1977, at age 20, Dagon launched the Mabat Sport monthly with Rami Rotholz, which was published for one year. In 1978, he was made the first editorial photographer of the leading Monitin magazine. He also worked for the following major newspapers and magazines: Maariv, Yediot Ahronot, Globes, Haaretz, HaOlam Hazeh and Shishi.
In 1990, Dagon was made Batsheva’s resident photographer, and also started photographing independent dance companies. He works as a photographer in Gesher Theater and was previously the resident photographer of the Jerusalem Khan Theater and Tmoona Theater. He also photographed for Beit Lessin and Habima theaters.
Dagon participated in many exhibitions, including Pretense (1990), curated by Naomi Aviv at the Museum of Israeli Art, Ramat Gan, and Graffiti at Rabin Square (1995), curated by Moti Omer at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art.
Dagon edited and published several books, including Hanoch Levin: Theater (2010); Keren Kayemeth and Photograph: Photographs from the Blue Box, 1903-2003; In the Israel Electricity Corp’s Historical Reading A Power Station (2003); and the dance book Who Knows One: Ohad Naharin, Batsheva Dance Company, 1990-2006 (2006) (all in Hebrew).
Dagon passed away on January 2021.
