THE GUIDE
Pic by Shachaf Rodberg
Yael Shapira is an art historian and a cultural researcher specializing in Israeli urban art. Since graduating from Tel Aviv University in 2008, Yael also holds the position of Director of Sales at the Fresh Paint Art Fair, Israel's leading art fair for contemporary art.
In 2013, Yael founded Alternative Tel Aviv Art Tours which provides boutique art tours for those interested in Israeli art and the real cultural DNA of Tel Aviv. The tours are held in urban settings in addition to cutting-edge exhibitions and galleries in Tel Aviv, Haifa and Jerusalem, Israel.
Yael is a scholar and lecturer in her field of graffiti and street art in Israel, and is also one of the tour guides for Alternative Tel Aviv.
TEL AVIV's urban ART SCENE
Klone, pic by Pavlina Schultz
Tel Aviv is considered one of the leading global cities in terms of urban art. Some of the Tel Avivian street artists are known as global brands and are invited to exhibit in museums, galleries, art fairs and exhibitions all over the world. Alongside the city's beautiful beaches, famous night life scene and being a top destination for tourists in the Middle East, Tel Aviv is also known for it’s wonderful, complex, intelligent and fascinating street art.
Tel Aviv’s urban art scene is spread over three main neighborhoods. The Florentin neighborhood is probably the largest and most important center in Israel for this particular art genre. Kiryat Hamelacha is a workshop district with artists’ studios, alternative art spaces and galleries. Lastly, there is the "bad side" of Montefiore neighborhood, which houses body shops, wholesale businesses and some of the city's most interesting pieces of urban art.
Compared to the size of other global cities, Tel Aviv is very small. That is one of the reasons why Haifa and Jerusalem are also taken into consideration while discussing Tel Aviv's urban art scene—the cities have an unbreakable bond between them. Street pieces by artists born and living in Tel Aviv can also be found in the streets of Jerusalem and Haifa, and vice versa.
THE TOURS
Pic by Or Kaplan
Florentin graffiti tour
In Tel Aviv's Florentin neighborhood, one will find urban masterpieces by leading Israeli street artists which have been there for many years, new pieces by up-and-coming Israeli street artists and works by international street artists who came to Florentin especially to contribute and participate in one of the most thriving street art scenes in the world. On the tour we will discuss the differences between graffiti and other types of art in the streets, get to know all the major Israeli street artists and receive the tools and basic terminology which are needed to understand street art. Tour duration is about an hour and a half.
For tour details or if you're interested in booking a tour please click here.
yael'S TOP 5
