No doubt you’ve heard about Tel Aviv’s famous graffiti scene. Maybe you’ve read our previous post about some of the more famous art pieces. Maybe you’ve been to Tel Aviv before and seen it for yourself. The streets are lined with the work of hundreds of artists; some local artists and some who come from various areas of Israel for the specific purpose of painting on the streets. Some of these artists are even commissioned by the Tel Aviv-Jaffa municipality to paint on the abandoned walls as a gift to the residents of South Tel Aviv. Either way, these artists have made a living for themselves by providing art for residents and tourists alike to enjoy for free. These are just some of the artists featured in our brand new “Tel Aviv – A story of a city” graffiti art tour!
Einstein, Ben Gurion
Dan Groover
Dan Groover is the man behind some of the more colorful and intricate street art in Tel Aviv. Dan is an Orthodox Jew who grew up on the streets of France. He did his first graffiti at the age of 14 in a poorer neighborhood of Paris, where he was actually shot at because strangers thought he was stealing a car. Dan refined his art in Guadeloupe, when he moved there and became a real graffiti artist. He moved to Israel 22 years ago where he has been decorating the streets of Israel, from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, ever since. He has a colorful and eclectic art style…which is very similar to the man himself and should not be missed by any person going on a graffiti tour!
Monkey rmg
Monkey rmg
Known for his unique style and fillings of his works. Monkey rmg (Daniel Liss) is an advanced artist with distinctive capabilities in many forms of art. If you pass by the allies of Florentine neighborhood you will surely notice his outstanding graffiti works. Other than painting, Monkey is also a master craftsman in wood and steal works.
If you like your graffiti dark and detailed you need to look for this guy on the streets.
Zohar Argov by Arad Levi
Arad Levy
The artist with the most art on the street, Arad Levy’s written masterpieces can be seen all around Tel Aviv, not just in the famous Florentine neighborhood. Arad’s talents come from his many experiences as a writer – it’s almost hard to believe that he is only 25! Arad’s special type of graffiti reflects his talent as a writer; his art work tends to be in the form of written words painted on the walls of abandoned and dilapidated buildings. Written graffiti is somewhat of an underground art scene in Tel Aviv. Because of this, Arad’s art tends to be aggressive in its style due to word artists trying to make their presence felt as much as possible. In the past few years, Arad has started expanding to include more conventional types of art, some of which you will be able to see as part of our graffiti tour.
Shimon Wanda and Shir Lamdan
Shimon Wanda
Shimon Wanda brings Ethiopian representation to the streets of Tel Aviv. Growing up in the north of Israel, Shimon’s parents emigrated to Israel from Ethiopia prior to his birth. Shimon pays homage to his parents and his culture, through the use of traditional spray cans to paint murals celebrating the Ethiopian people. So important is his contribution to the Ethiopian people in Israel, that he was asked to decorate the Ethiopian Centre in Tel Aviv with images of his heritage. Alongside Monky and Dan Groover, he also participated in Tel Aviv’s pop up street art museum.
Julia (ID)
If you see the images of young girls and foxes, then you have seen the work of ID. ID’s name is Julia, and she comes to Israel’s streets from the former Soviet Union. She has a very distinctive art style; not painting with spray cans or paste art, but with a paint brush. Her art work pays homage to the children of Israel, specifically to it’s little girls. Julia can primarily be found in Florentine.
To find out more about these artists and their art, check our unique graffiti art tour. You will go through time and learn about the history through a walk along the exciting streets of Tel Aviv.