Hi there!
You wouldn't believe what a pleasant trip awaits right under your noses. I attended an Israeli Bloggers Award event last week and as part of the local camaraderie, those who were interested were able to sign up for a morning Graffiti trip together.
Although one would think that a bunch of professionals would manage by themselves, we took the 'Be Tel-Aviv' guided tour, which I am happy to recommend since our wonderful guide, Eviatar Gover was very knowledgable and up to date with the graffiti scene.
So what did we learn?
Basically, a bit about everything. Eviatar gave us some background about the history of graffiti and about how it evolved in the world in general and in Israel more specifically.
He explained a bit about the different techniques such as bubble writing, stenciling, paste ups and advance photoshop and also pointed out some of the well-known graffiti artists as well as some of the up and coming ones.
Graffiti is not just an outlet for creativity, or just 'Street Art'. It is the only means by which you can generate mass media anonymously without censorship as a means for expressing social and politial messages.
For this reason, some graffiti artists have even minimized the art to tagging (signatures) alone. Regardless, unless the art is ordered in advance by a local authority, it is considered vandalism and may be punishable under law.
Despite the legal issues, Graffiti in Israel is blooming, mainly because the viewers in Israel are usually supportive and applaude the artists, while law enforcement for vandalism is low. Israel is considered a trend setter and its graffiti artists are active in all areas of social activism, with the latest graffiti art form being street poetry.
If you like the scene, you're welcome to sign up for a 'Be Tel-Aviv' tour. It takes about an hour and a half.
Peace! Talma
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