Israeli Street Art

Location: Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Haifa Israel

Portrait of Israeli Street Art

Israeli Street Art Tel Aviv and Jerusalem

"In recent years, walls and derelict building in Tel Aviv, mainly its center and south, have been covered with various images: from simple slogans and complex graffiti to carefully executed colorful compositions. These works, some in large format, some small and hidden, are unique in the daring and innovation they demonstrate regarding street/art relations, and display the various styles of the artists and their techniques (aerosol, acrylic, pasting and stencils). The works, some colorful, some black and white, are all made clandestinely and illicitly, and their execution requires skill, talent, speed and excellent spatial perception. The exhibition presents the major street artists active in Tel Aviv, the various media and styles they use, and their different ways of dealing with the shift from the bustle of detail-laden streets to the Museum's white walls." Tel Aviv Museum of Contemporary Art

The street art that covers the alleys of South Florentine, an immigrant neighborhood in South Tel Aviv, expresses the identities of the artists and their concerns. Some of the art is in slogans and even in Braille; some pieces are huge; many are in different styles and use different techniques. So how does this Street Art reflect identity? A few Israeli street artists are religious and use their art and Hebrew writing to reflect their faith. Other images reflect the social concerns of contemporary Tel Aviv like the homeless man asleep on a bench . However, Tel Aviv, known as the bubble, is a secular place and the majority of the street art is non-religious and not overtly political.

Jerusalem.

Although Tel Aviv is one of the Middle East’s centers for contemporary art and street art, Jerusalem, especially West Jerusalem, has recently seen an emergence of street art in the Tabula Rasa exhibition, curated by Itamar Paloge (See the next portrait) and the art outside Jerusalem’s hip Uganda bar. The scene is definitely changing.

Haifa

Take, for example, the group Broken Fingaz located in Haifa, a mixed Arab and Jewish city. Although their art is on Tel Aviv’s walls and even in Jerusalem, their largest works can be seen on Masada Street, known for its Arab-Jewish cafes, artists and university professors. Watch the stop action film about Broken Fingaz to see how imaginative they are. . Wadi Nis Nas, an Arab outdoor food market is another story. It reflects the inhabitants. Some is Christan , some is Jewish, and some Arab. Some of the street art is simply about food. (See also Portrait of Itamar Palogue and Portrait of Broken Fingaz).

Street Art in Tel Aviv