I am Hadassah Azaria, the artist and photographer behind Fly Pangolin.

My path into photography began long before horses. In my late twenties, I worked as a wildlife photographer, spending long stretches of time in Michigan and across South Africa, learning to read light, patience, and the quiet moments that wild animals never repeat twice. That practice went dormant for years, until horses brought it back to life. The discipline I learned photographing wildlife found its true home in the reining arena.

Reining

I am drawn to the sport for its precision, its quiet control disguised as power, and the deep trust it demands between horse and rider.

I compete in reining myself, in a small way, and that closeness is what shapes my work, I am not observing from the outside, I am inside the world I photograph. Competitive sport has been a lifelong pursuit of mine well beyond the arena, from Ironman and soft acrobatics to ninja obstacle courses and movement training, and I still hold big ambitions as an athlete. That closeness to horses runs through my family as well. my daughter competes in Israeli and European reining events. I own five horses, four of them active competitors in the discipline.

My art lives between two extremes of emotion. Photography gives me drama: sharp, dark, powerful. Oil painting gives me softness and color: delicate, warm, alive.

The name FLY PANGOLIN has been mine for almost 25 years. “FLY“ comes from my love of flight, I hold a civil pilot’s license for single-piston aircraft, earned in South Africa, and a paragliding license, earned across Australia, Africa, and the United States. “PANGOLIN“ is my totem animal. Everyone chooses one. a lion, an eagle.. I chose the pangolin or it chose me, years ago in a chance encounter during my travels in South Africa. A small, quiet, armored creature, rare and easily overlooked, yet remarkable once you truly see it. 

THE BUTTERFLY beside my signature carries its own meaning. Of every creature, it is the one that best represents transformation . an emergence from the cocoon into something entirely new. My work follows the same principle. it is never static. I move between photography, oil painting, music, and storytelling, constantly evolving the mediums through which I express what I have to say as an artist.

Each work is created in extremely limited numbers. never mass-produced, never repeated. Whether a private commission of a client’s own horse, or a piece from the Drama, Still, or Flowers & Horses collections, every piece is intended to hold a presence: in a home, a ranch, a gallery, or a space that calls for something rare.

I work between Israel and Europe, and travel internationally for private commissions.

FOR GALLERIES, CURATORS & COLLECTORS

If you are interested in representing my work, acquiring a piece, or discussing a private commission, I welcome direct inquiry.

Contact Me.