Graffiti For Israel On Display in New York, Tel Aviv

Spray-paint stencil artist Sarah Brega recently found inner peace at the unlikeliest of places — a series of Sderot bomb shelters she had decided to spruce up.

“It was really peaceful in Sderot — I picked two or three bomb shelters to decorate,” Brega said. “It was like my dream, to have this empty canvas and do whatever I want with it.”

Brega had joined six non-Jewish American peers and 12 Israelis — all predominantly graffiti artists — on a “Murality” mission called “Paint Israel: Make Art, Not War,” where they sought out artistic inspiration in spots like Sderot, Tel Aviv Herzliya, Jerusalem and Kiryat Gan.

This week, the Israeli-owned Eden Gallery here (437 Madison Ave.) is hosting near-simultaneous launch events at its New York and Tel Aviv locations, where it is featuring the work of these “Artists 4 Israel” in an exhibit entitled “Color: Correct.”

The pieces on display at New York’s Tuesday night event largely came from after the “Murality” trip, while Tel Aviv’s opening will include a makeshift project from the artists’ last day in Israel, comprised of objects they collected during the journey.

“We learned that the artists were doing this nonprofit work to support Israel, and since we’re an Israel-based gallery it seemed like a perfect fit,” said Guy Vardi, director of the gallery branch in New York.

Artists 4 Israel first came together during the Gaza war, under the leadership of artist Craig Dershowitz, who amassed a group of friends and acquaintances to make artistic signs at a 42nd Street pro-Israel rally.  Continue reading…