Category Archive » Arts
Art adds color to Tel Aviv’s central bus station
Illustrator and recent Shenkar graduate Marian Boo works late into the night (Photo: Aine Pennello)
Graffiti artist Haha (L) and interactive artist Debi Oulu work side by side (Photo: Aine Pennello)
Featuring artists from Israel and all over the world, new exhibition aims to promote street art while improving look of Tel Aviv’s main bus station, which residents say has become a local eyesore
Mati Ale, an insurance assessor turned street art photographer, say people call him a dreamer.
“But I’m not a dreamer. I’m realistic. I do it,” says Ale of his latest project, an art exhibition on the seventh floor of Tel Aviv’s central bus station, which opened to the public on Saturday for one year.
The exhibition covers 1,000 square meters (10,765 square feet) of wall and features artists from Israel and all over the world. It aims to promote street art while improving the look of the central bus station, which residents say has become a local eyesore.
“I passed here as a teenager when this place just opened,” says Oz Madar, curator of the exhibition. “It was filled with wonders,” he says, remembering the number of CD and magazine stores that once operated within the bus station.
International LEGO exhibit coming to Israel
One of ‘Art of the Brick’ exhibits
‘Art of the Brick,’ selected by CNN as one of 10 must-see exhibitions, to display some 40 sculptures created from famous plastic blocks, including images of Israeli president and prime minister
International LEGO exhibition “The Art of the Brick” will arrive in Israel in late June for two months, after presenting in North America, Asia and Australia.
The exhibition includes some 40 sculptures created by New York-based artist Nathan Sawaya from the famous plastic blocks, and was selected by CNN as one of 10 must-see exhibitions.
Sawaya began his affair with LEGO bricks at an early age, but unlike many other children he never stopped building, creating and developing his imagination through LEGO. The result was soon to come in the form of an international, impressive exhibition, which has become an inseparable part of art in the era of pop culture.
“I use LEGO bricks as my medium because I enjoy seeing people’s reactions to artwork created from something with which they are familiar,” Sawaya says. “Everyone can relate to it since it is a toy that many children have at home and one that adults have a sentimental attachment to.”
An ARTIST featured: SDM’s ONE-on-ONE with Israeli artist Tal Cohen-Shalev
Every now and then a musical act seems to transcend geographical and cultural boundaries. As a sensitive and timid kid, he was drawn to the music of the authentic generation, taking cues from James Taylor, Nick Drake, and Cat Stevens for an introspective sound out of Israel. Check out our brief interview with Tal…
Who is Tal Cohen-Shalev?
An Israeli boy trying to find his place in the cosmos.
How would you describe your music ?
Personal and eclectic. I try not to enclose myself into one specific genre, though many people pointed toward old time singer-songwriters as my main inspiration. That’s partly true, but throughout my two albums you can hear other sounds that defy this conception. Mostly, I’d like my music to be something that is my own.
Which artists are you guys inspired by, if any… ?
I grew up with many bands and artists, not all of them remotely resemble what I do, but the ones that really inspired me were singer-songwriters from different periods such as Damien Rice, Iron and Wine, James Taylor, Jackson Brown and Cat Stevens.
Does being Israeli influence your music ?
I don’t see my music as essentially Israeli. My themes are personal, but not such that point to a specific facet of my Israeli identity. The music itself is a hybrid of various sound that I liked to explore, none of them is typically Israeli. It’s funny though, because working with Hebrew lyrics at the moment, I find that the music that comes out tends to be more distinctively Israeli in character, I guess that language has its own music which radiates outward.
Do you have any 1 unique/memorable concert, if so, where was it, and why is it memorable?
Our last show at a major Israeli music festival, In-D-Negev. It was our first performance with an ideal band roster to our largest crowd yet, and it was a euphoric experience. I get my energy on stage when the crowd is enjoying itself, and the good vibes I got from the crowd effected the band and they also brought good vibes which resulted in a fantastic and memorable show.
You are heading to Toronto for NXNE, are you excited about that, have you played many concerts outside Israel ?
This will actually be my first performance at a major music festival out of Israel and I’m super excited and nervous at the same time. Whatever happens then, at the very least it will have been an exciting first time experience.
If you could play a set in one location, any location, where would it be ?
I don’t have an ideal location, just a concept. Probably a big time European festival.
What’s next for Tal ?
At this time I’m working on a couple of new songs I’m preparing to release as singles. They will be in Hebrew for the first time, I feel now that I’m ready to step out of my safe zone and tackle music with a more local appeal and see what opportunities it brings my way.
Israelis are known to be creative and innovative when it comes to High-Tech, do you find that its the case in the music industry ?
There are a lot of creative people in Israeli music as there are in the Israeli high tech industry and as in any other place where creativity and innovation is to be found. I don’t think it’s a matter of some “Israeliness” that exerts its influence on everything Israelis touch. There are plenty of areas in which Israelis do a piss poor job, they just happen to be on the forefront of high tech. I will say, however, that there is great Israeli music which deserves a lot more recognition around the world and sadly doesn’t.
Tal will be playing 2 shows @ this year’s NXNE festival
Tranzac – Southern Cross
Friday, June 14 @ 9 PM
Free Times Cafe
Saturday, June 15 @ 10 PM
Check out Tal’s music via http://
LIKE Tal on facebook by clicking here
Israeli art in heart of Tehran
Photographer Tome Bookshtein surprised to learn that pictures she took in Tel Aviv are displayed in art gallery in Iranian capital
Iranian art lovers, who flocked to the international photography exhibition presented last month at an esteemed art gallery in Tehran, had no idea that two of the pictures presented in the exhibition were taken in Tel Aviv – by Israeli photographer Tome Bookshtein.
So how do Israeli works of art make it to the heart of the Iranian capital? It all began when Tome Bookshtein, a graduate of the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem, took pictures of buildings of the Histadrut labor federation in Tel Aviv, in a bid to express the social aspects hiding behind the buildings.
Bookshtein’s work drew the attention of contemporary art curator Sharon Tuval. For the past year, Sharon has been collecting pictures of women photographers from all over the Middle East for the exhibition “Individual Journey to Poetry,” which he created together with Austrian photographer Sini Coreth.
‘Anonymity cancels any option for dialogue’
The exhibition, which was initiated by the Austrian Foreign Ministry’s Cultural Forum, presented the work of eight women photographers from Israel, Iran, the Palestinian Authority, Syria, Oman, China, Japan and Austria. After the exhibition was displayed in Vienna and at the Peres Center for Peace in Jaffa, the Austrian Foreign Ministry sent it to Iran.
The owners of the Tehran art gallery agreed to display the Israeli photographer’s work as well, as long as they could write “anonymous photographer” instead of “Tome Bookshtein, Israel” so as not to get in trouble with the Ayatollah regime.
“We couldn’t believe it. We’re so happy that Israeli works of art are being displayed at such times in the heart of Tehran,” said Tuval.
“I never expected to present there,” added Bookshtein. “It’s a shame that the Iranians didn’t mention my name and where I’m from. Apart from the fact that I would have loved to get credit, the anonymity cancels any option for a dialogue and slightly misses the point: Promoting a social and gender-related dialogue that will also reflect on political awareness.”
Source: Ynetnews.com
VIDEO: Pretty Lady, 2 Pandas, an awesome playlist and Jaffa…. The latest by Noy Alooshe
The latest by one of Israel’s most talented artsits Noy Alooshe. Filmed in Jaffa.
Songs List:
1. Gotye – Somebody That I Used To Know (feat. Kimbra)
2. Los del Rio – Macarena
3. Baauer – Harlem Shake
4. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – Thrift Shop
5. Will.i.am – Scream & Shout ft. Britney Spears
6. SKRILLEX – Bangarang
7. Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe
8. Psy – Gangnam Style
9. Major Lazer – Watch Out For This (Bumaye)
10. Kaoma – The Lambada
11. Eiffel 65 – Blue (Da Ba Dee)
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Daft Punk Vs Michael Jackson – Billie Jean Get Lucky (Noy Alooshe Mash Up)
LUCILLE – Day Drifter (Feat. Goldie)
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Seconds before they release their new and extremely anticipated album, Lucille’s crew got together on a sunny Tel Aviv afternoon to give Balcony TV a lil’ taste from what’s coming up.
Lucille will celebrate their new album on the road, touring from TLV to NYC.
For upcoming dates, music and videos, stay tuned @https://www.facebook.com/Lucille.Smok…