Eilon Armon was born in Israel in 1963. He received his B.A. from Holon Academic Institute of Technology (HAIT), Israel, in 1990 and his M.A. from the Royal College of Art, London, in 1993. Since graduating, he has lectured on design at HAIT. He produces design commercially for his independent firm Armon Design. Solo exhibitions of his work include Sketch at HAIT Gallery (2005) and Hamechayee at Horache Richter Gallery, Old Jaffa (2004).

Chanan de Lange was born in Israel in 1955. He received a degree in Industrial Design from Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in 1985. In 1988, de Lange returned to Bezalel Academy as a designer, lecturer, and instructor. His work has appeared in international exhibitions such as Promisedesign at the Triennale di Milano (2005), Designmai at the Berlin Design Festival (2005), Design Matters at Felissimo Design House, New York (2004), and Domains: Contemporary Israeli Design, presented at Tokyo Designers' Block and other East Asian venues (2002). De Lange's work can be found in the permanent collections of the Tel-Aviv Museum; the Israel Museum, Jerusalem; Bloomfield Science Museum, Jerusalem; and the Haifa Museum of Art, as well as in private collections both in Israel and abroad.

Gad Charny was born in Israel in 1951, and was awarded his Master of Design degree by the Royal College of Art, London, in 1980. Charny is professor of industrial design at the Holon Academic Institute of Technology. He has also lectured at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, India. Between 1991 and 2002, Charny produced designs for Finish Group, the Israeli office-system manufacturer. His commercial designs also include products for corporate, religious, and medical use. Group exhibitions featuring his work include Promisedesign at the Triennale di Milano (2005) and Darkness at the Aram Gallery, London (2005).

Ami Drach & Dov Ganchrow, both graduates of Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, have been collaborating since 1996. Their shared studio produces commercial prototypes, set designs, and medical equipment. Ami Drach was born in Israel in 1963 and was appointed Head of the Industrial Design Department at Bezalel in 2004. Dov Ganchrow was born in Boston in 1970, emigrated to Israel with his family in 1975, and currently lectures at Bezalel Academy. Solo exhibitions of Drach & Ganchrow's work include Bin Seats at Periscope Gallery for Contemporary Design, Tel-Aviv (2001), and Plans for/of a Drawer at Ascola Gallery, Tel-Aviv (1999). Drach & Ganchrow's group exhibitions include Third Biennial for Israeli Ceramics at Eretz Israel Museum, Tel-Aviv (2004), Young Israeli Art at the Tel-Aviv Museum of Art (2003), and Industrious Designers: Design from Israel, at venues in Prague, Frankfurt, Verona, and Stockholm (2002). The work of Drach & Ganchrow has been recognized by the RE-Think + RE-Cycle Macef Design Competition, Italy (2005), and the Israel Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sports Design Award (2003). Their designs are in the permanent collections of the Tel-Aviv Museum of Art and the Israel Museum, Jerusalem.

Tal Gur was born in Israel in 1962. In 1996, he graduated from Bezalel Academy of Art and Design and began lecturing in the school's Industrial Design department. Gur's exhibition designs include Domains: Contemporary Israeli Design, presented at the Tokyo Designers' Block and multiple East Asian venues (2002-05), and It's About Time at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem (1999-2000). He has also curated several exhibitions, including Salone Satellite: Bezalel at the Milan Furniture Fair (2003). His design work has been featured in international design exhibitions such as Promisedesign at the Triennale di Milano (2005) and Designmai at the Berlin Design Festival (2005). Gur has received awards for his designs such as Chosen Artist in the Field of Product Design, Israel Cultural Excellence Foundation (2004-2005) and the Crate and Barrel Grant for Israeli Domestic Products (2001, 1998). Gur's work can found in the permanent collections of Tel-Aviv Museum of Art; Israel Museum, Jerusalem, and Hangaram Museum for Design, Seoul.

Safi Hefetz was born in Israel in 1962. He received his B.A. from Bezalel Academy for Art and Design in 1990. In addition to practicing design, he has lectured at Bezalel since 1993. In 2002, Hefetz became a partner in the I2D Design Firm in Tel-Aviv, and exhibited at the Museum of Architecture in Moscow in 2003. Hefetz's work has also been exhibited at Promisedesign, Triennale di Milano (2005); Third Biennial for Israeli Ceramics, Eretz Israel Museum, Tel-Aviv (2004); and Head Guard: Design Takes on Risks, International Design Conference, Aspen (2003). In 2005, he was recognized by the Israel Ministry of Industry and Trade for his product design. His work can be found in the collection of Israel Museum, Jerusalem.

Yaacov Kaufman was born in the U.S.S.R in 1945 and immigrated to Israel from Poland in 1957. Kaufman has been a professor at Bezalel Academy of Art and Design since 1994. He has produced lighting designs for several international companies, such as Luxit, Lumina, Artemide, and Serien. His work has appeared in international design exhibitions including Domains: Contemporary Israeli Design, UTS Gallery, Sydney, and RMIT Gallery, Melbourne (2004), and Domains: Contemporary Israeli Design, presented at the Tokyo Designers' Block and multiple East Asian venues (2002-03). His solo exhibitions include Downsized, Periscope Gallery for Contemporary Design, Tel-Aviv (2004), and Installation Design, Haifa Museum for Contemporary Art (2000). His work can be found in the permanent collections of the Haifa Museum for Contemporary Art; the Tel-Aviv Museum of Art; and Israel Museum, Jerusalem. Twice he has been awarded the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design Good Design Award (2003 and 2004). He has also received recognition from the Italian Association for Industrial Design (2004) and from the Norwegian Design Council (2003).

Pini Leibovich was born in Israel in 1962 and graduated from Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in 1989. Since 1993, he has lectured at Shenkar Center for Design. He produces design commercially through Pini Leibovich Design Studio. His work is regularly exhibited in venues throughout Israel, such as Tel-Aviv Museum of Art and Periscope Gallery for Contemporary Design, Tel-Aviv. He has been recognized for his work by the Israel Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sport (2004) and by the Crate and Barrel Design Competition (2003). His work is found in the collections of Tel-Aviv Museum and Ramat Gan Museum.

Raviv Lifshitz was born in Israel in 1968 and graduated from Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in 1996. He currently produces designs commercially through Raviv Lifshitz Studio for Design. His work has been presented in design exhibitions around the world, including Promisedesign, Triennale di Milano (2005); Cienporciento 2004, Palais de Glace Museum, Buenos Aires; Design Matters, Felissimo Design House, New York (2004); Prizes in Art and Design, Israel Ministry of Education, Haifa Museum of Art (2004); and Domains: Contemporary Israeli Design, presented at Tokyo Designers' Block and multiple East Asian venues (2002-03). In 2003, Lifshitz was awarded the Prize for Design by the Israel Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sport. His work has been acquired by Tel-Aviv Museum of Art.

Alon Eliezer Meron was born in Israel in 1975. He earned his Bachelor of Design degree from Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in 2004. Meron's work has been featured in international group exhibitions such as 5th Design 21 International Design Award Exhibition, Felissimo Group, Tokyo (2005); Promisedesign, Triennale di Milano (2005); Third Biennial for Israeli Ceramics, Eretz Israel Museum, Tel-Aviv (2004); and Design Matters, Felissimo Design House, New York (2004).

Willy Mizrachi was born in Israel in 1964. He received his Master of Arts from Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in 2003. He currently works as a freelance designer, focusing on the development of plastic products. Mizrachi's work has been exhibited at Periscope Gallery for Contemporary Design, Tel-Aviv (2003); Bezalel Academy Gallery, Jerusalem (2003); and in Industrious Designers: Design from Israel, with venues in Prague, Frankfurt, Verona, and Stockholm (2002). He currently lectures at Avni Institute College of Art and Design, Tel-Aviv.

Ayala Serfaty was born in 1962 in Israel. Between 1982 and 1987, she studied Fine Art at Bezalel Academy of Art and Design and Middlesex Polytechnic, London. In addition to practicing fine art, Serfaty has worked since 1994 as the sole designer for Aqua Creations, which specializes in sculptural lighting and furnishings. Serfaty's work is exhibited in museums and commercial sites around the world: COLLECT Expo, Victoria & Albert Museum, London (2004); Nature Highly Artificial, Museum für Kunst und Gerwerbe, Hamburg (2003); Design Museums of the World, Neuesmuseum: Staatliches Museum für Kunst und Design, Nurnberg (2003); Stand By, Oceanographic Park, Valencia (2002); and Carrefour de la Création, Centre Pompidou, Paris (2003).

Ezri Tarazi was born in Israel in 1962. In addition to producing designs for his own company, Tarazi Studios, he is the founding head of the Masters Program in Industrial Design at Bezalel Academy of Art and Design. Tarazi has curated exhibitions such as Phenomenology: Seven Young Israeli Designers, Tel-Aviv Central Station (2005) and Ad Hakatze: Eleven Young Israeli Designers, Periscope Gallery of Contemporary Design, Tel-Aviv (2005). His solo exhibitions include Normally Open-Normally Closed, Periscope Gallery of Contemporary Design (2004); Twins, Tel-Aviv Museum (2002); and Seen | Unseen, Ilum Gallery, Copenhagen (2002). Group exhibitions of his work include Promisedesign, Triennale di Milano (2005); Urim, Israel Museum, Jerusalem (2005); Mythos: Ten Designers in Tribute to Leonardo da Vinci, La Triennale Museum, Milan (2003); and Industrious Designers: Design from Israel, with venues in Prague, Frankfurt, Verona, and Stockholm (2002). His work has been recognized internationally, including “12 Selected Works,” Designboom magazine (2003); “Designer of the Year,” Israel Ministry of Culture and Science (2002); and a Distinction Award in the New York Times “Capturing Time” competition (2000).

Nati Shamia-Opher was born in Israel in 1965. She holds degrees in both Fine Art (1990) and Industrial Design (1993) from Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, where she has taught since 1997. Shamia-Opher's solo exhibitions include Land E Scape, Herzliya Museum of Art, Herzliya, Israel (2004), and Itching and Digging, Noga Gallery of Contemporary Art, Tel-Aviv (2003). Her work has also appeared in group exhibitions, such as Following Shemi, Haifa University Art Gallery (2005), and Planting-Sleeping, Herzeliya Museum of Art (2004). Shamia-Opher won the Mifal HaPais (National Lottery) Grant for the publication of a book about her work (2002).

Sharon Peter Shechter was born in 1970 in Israel. He received his B.A. from Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in 2001. Since graduating, he has been producing designs for Tukan Design Group in Israel and lecturing at Ascola Academy of Art and Design, Tel-Aviv. His work has been exhibited internationally at Promisedesign, Triennale di Milano (2005); Designmai, Berlin Design Festival (2005); and Domains: Contemporary Israeli Design, Tokyo Designers' Block and multiple East Asian venues (2002).

Yuval Tal was born in Israel in1973 and graduated from Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in 2001. Group exhibitions of Tal's work include Promisedesign at the Triennale di Milano (2005); Designmai at the Berlin Design Festival (2005); the Third Biennale for Israeli Ceramics, Eretz Israel Museum, Tel-Aviv (2005); and Design Matters, Felissimo Design House, New York (2004). Tal's product design was awarded first prize in the 2003 Plasto-Ispack Israeli competition for design in plastics.

Assaf Warshavsky was born in Israel in 1969. He earned his Bachelor of Design degree in 2001 from Bezalel Academy of Art and Design. Group exhibitions of Warshavsky's work include the Third Biennale for Israeli Ceramics, Eretz Israel Museum, Tel-Aviv (2005); Design on Design, Tel-Aviv Museum of Art (2002); and Domains: Contemporary Israeli Design at Tokyo Designers' Block and multiple East Asian venues (2002).

Zivia was born in Israel in 1960. She received her Master of Arts from Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, in 2005. Her work has been exhibited in the Third Biennial for Israeli Ceramics, Eretz Israel Museum, Tel-Aviv (2004); Cienporciento 2004, Palais de Glace Museum, Buenos Aires; and Design Matters, Felissimo Design House, New York (2004). She has also had solo exhibitions in Tel-Aviv at Periscope Gallery for Contemporary Design and Ascola Gallery for Art and Design. She was awarded First Prize in the Expo 2000 Israeli National Furniture Competition. In addition to consulting on sustainable design, Zivia currently lectures at Bezalel Academy of Art and Design; Hadassah Wizo College of Design, Haifa; and Holon Academic Institute of Technology.

Biographies edited by Wava Carpenter

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