Meshuna Gallery, in Tel Aviv, is run by Oren Fischer and Anton Avramov. A cross-between a studio space and exhibition space, they show the work of mainly upcoming street artists. Fitting for their graffiti scrawled location in Florentin. The space, abandoned for seven years, has been recreated into a social hub for young artists to express themselves.
Their “STICKERZ!” exhibition called on 31 artists to design a series of (what else?) stickers. The idea being to democratise art, to bring art to the masses in the most mass-productive way possible… And the results are a stunning mash-up of skater inspired art and lacksidasical curation from the collective Prettimess. Piecing together the top talent from Israeli alternative sport, street art and music scenes their goal is to create “culture for the people”. Anything can be an exhibition space from parties to galleries, as long as there’s an audience there is art. Another nod to their alternative roots comes in the form of a collaboration with Dasilva Boards, who made limited edition skateboards with special editions of 10 stickers on them. Their handmade boards are created with an obsessive attention to detail, and come in limited editions. Nice.
Tel Aviv’s street art scene has been on the rise for the last decade. Just when the commercial grip seemed to have taken over the form’s counter-culture status, out come these young artists eager to use the city as a canvas. Below we’ve profiled three of the artists breaking through the graffiti scene, and exhibiting with Meshuna Gallery and Prettimes Collective.
Untay
Most of his work deals with change and aspiration, taking time to protest against rising rents in 2011 too. Inspired by music, cities and global changes, his work provides bursts of colour in some of Tel Aviv’s most neglected spots. His work begins on the street, exploring open spaces, but he also works in a studio context to produce classic drawings, illustrations and paintings on different surfaces.
Dioz
Dioz creates larger than life worlds, the bigger the better. Working over a few decades, his artwork is multi-dimensional wrapping itself around the space. His decorated trashcans are iconic, and his laidback style somewhat at odds with some of the more politically charged work of his contemporaries. He’s all about colour, flair and bringing a touch of life to bare walls.
Pipeled
A darker force than either Untay or Dioz, this guy creates black and white images that have a haunting edge. From creepy crows to Notorious BIG, his points of reference are extensive and his lines are flawless. He’s a rising star on the global scene too, with an extensive online ship and branded products galore. He’s even collaborated with Puma.
See more examples of work over at TELAVIVIAN.
