In any other area of the city of Tel Aviv, drawing or posting on the walls of a building is considered to be destruction of property resulting in a report and payment of a fine, while in the Florentin neighborhood, painting and posting on walls is considered a type of art, referred to as street art or – by its other name – graffiti. The Tel Aviv municipality, as well as real estate developers, have recognized that street art is a means of enhancing real estate, offering tourist tours in the Florentin neighborhood complete with selfie spots, to be uploaded on social networks tagged as favorites and earning “likes”. The municipality even encourages large murals in the neighborhood and commissions various artisans to create them. The formerly rundown Florentin neighborhood, with its peeling plaster and exposed concrete, has become a much-photographed tourist attraction, where every passing guest makes an attempt to add their personal mark on the walls.
There are different types of graffiti and there are several unwritten laws concerning this art. For example, if a street artist wishes to remain anonymous or advertise under a particular nickname – this request for anonymity must be respected. The work of another artist must not be painted over. Some claim that commissioned graffiti is not included in the category of street art, which is designed to express protest or convey a social message from the artist. The concept of graffiti is that there is a direct connection between artist and viewer in a public space – “The street is your gallery”.
The smallest piece of artwork is the “tag” – in which graffiti artists sign their own names or the “crew” name to which they belong. The signature is in different, distinct styles of handwriting or stencils. Tagging has evolved into one of the more complex and colorful types of graffiti.
A medium-sized work is called a “piece” – designed to convey a message. The artists protest technology or social networks or express their feelings about a particular event; the message may connect to another work that exists alongside it.
A huge wall painting is called a “mural”. This is an area that the municipality approves in advance and occasionally also commissions the artist to paint it. As mentioned, some believe that a mural created as a commission of “the government” or “the establishment” is invalid as graffiti because it is commercial.
Graffiti can be paint sprayed decoratively on a wall, it can be a signature or a stencil, a saying, or words of a song or rhyme. It may be a work using various materials like wool or fabric, and of course paint. There is graffiti that is created in a few minutes (especially those done “underground” in places where it is prohibited to paint on walls on the street), and there are drawings that are planned carefully and take several days to complete.
Among the street artists who have worked in the Florentin neighborhood are Know Hope, Klone, Zero Cents, Anna Mirkin, Foma – Guy Blum – Dioz, Dede, UNTAY, Nitzan Mintz, Jonathan Kis Lev, Muriel Cohen who owns the Tiny Tiny Gallery, Tal Lanir.
There is no doubt that graffiti art has upgraded the streets of the Florentin neighborhood, giving it added value.