Colours of Hope: Israel's anonymous graffiti artist Alef's new exhibit

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By AMALIA HESS DECEMBER 7, 2024 13:13

The Magazine spoke with Zohar Bernard Cohen, art collector, art auctioneer, and owner of Tel Aviv’s Guerchon Gallery, to discuss the month-long “Colours of Hope” solo exhibition that his gallery is dedicating to the works of the anonymous painter and graffiti artist Alef. Originally due to close on December 14, it has been extended to December 18.

Cohen explains that he is drawn to the concept of the artist’s anonymity “because it allows viewers to focus on the artwork itself rather than the personality behind it.”

“In times of conflict, when any personal detail might lead to judgment or personal interpretation, anonymity serves as a means to keep the focus solely on the artistic message,” Cohen points out.

This, he explains, allows viewers “to experience the emotions evoked by the piece directly and without filter.”

The wartime context, he says, has profoundly influenced his approach to curating the Alef exhibition.

Artwork by anonymous Israeli graffiti artist Alef. (credit: Courtesy Alef)

“As Winston Churchill said, ‘What are we fighting for if not for our culture?’” Cohen quoted. “I believe our past holds the key to our future, and there is no stronger way [for our gallery] to demonstrate our resilience than by continuing to host high-quality exhibitions.”

The color and vibrancy of “Colours of Hope,” comprised of works painted over nine years, Cohen says, “convey a message of hope and the dream for peace.”

A few months before the exhibition was planned, Cohen, who knew Alef personally, approached him to apply his art on the columns outside the Guerchon Gallery. This was the first step toward planning the exhibition. Alef, influenced by Menashe Kadishman’s use of bright colors and style of painting similar images (of sheep) again and again, was delighted to receive a painting by Kadishman in exchange for this mural work.

“His sheep are a big part of my decision to focus on the Migdal Shalom tower and paint it over and over,” the artist had told the Magazine. To Alef, the tower symbolizes “the enduring ability of the Jewish people to rise from history’s deepest tragedies, return home, and rebuild anew.”

Cohen explains, “In an environment where war is part of daily reality, the exhibition serves as a beacon of light, a corner of sanity we strive to protect. I hope it encourages viewers to believe that even in the toughest circumstances, there is room for optimism and the will to continue fighting – not only on the physical front but also in maintaining personal and national sanity.”

Cohen believes in “the power of art to reach everyone, regardless of their personal or political background.”

In times of conflict, he says, “art can bridge gaps and open dialogue essential for healing and recovery. It serves as a reminder that a better world is possible if we only open our hearts and minds.”

“Colours of Hope,” Cohen says, provides “a space where art can offer solace to the soul, even in difficult times. It stands as a testament to the fact that despite conflict and pain, beauty and culture continue to thrive as an essential part of our lives.” 

The ‘Colours of Hope’ exhibition will be on display at the Guerchon Gallery, 117 Ibn Gvirol, Tel Aviv, until December 18.

Alef, the anonymous artist

Alef, who prefers to remain anonymous, spoke to the Magazine about the meaning of his art and on creating in a time of pain.

“Can you plan an exhibition when your heart pounds with intensity, when every thought is born from the tension between despair and hope?

“In a year of profound loss, with captives still held and every day demanding resilience, how do you create while grappling with such personal and collective pain?” he asks in his artist’s statement, printed on the glass front of the gallery.

In 2015, during a period of personal struggle, the artist took on the artistic persona of Alef, “symbolized,” he says, “by a simple yet profound letter that bridges Earth and sky, the physical and the spiritual. Alef embodies the divine spark within all of us, a connection to something greater that cannot be lost.

“It’s hard to imagine art emerging from chaos, yet I believe that humanity’s greatest strength lies in its ability to find light in even the darkest moments.”

Through the lens of urban landscapes, from towering skyscrapers to shifting cityscapes, the artist “found a powerful metaphor for humanity’s drive to build, restore, and heal.”

“Take, for instance, the Shalom Meir Tower,” he notes, “a national icon of resilience and revival.”

The Alef works exhibited at the Guerchon Gallery span nine years, chronicling the artist’s journey of “searching, creating, and reflecting on a world that oscillates between suffering and renewal.”

Renew, recycle, and transform

“Each piece in this collection, created on recycled canvases, speaks to the transformative power of renewal,” says Alef. “Beauty lies not only in strength and survival but also in the scars and imperfections that tell the story of the journey. The use of recycled materials reflects a desire to turn fragments into something whole, uniting past and future, the individual and the collective.”

Alef was Israel’s first artist to create street art with augmented reality in collaboration with the Artvive app.

‘Day by day, building dreams’

At its heart, this body of work is a “quest,” says Alef, “for meaning, for beauty, and for a sense of peace.” He lives by the mantra “Day by day, building dreams.”

Each piece is “a step forward, a moment in a shared journey, offering hope and solace, not just to one’s own community but to the world at large.” Art, the artist believes, is a tool for healing – a way to offer new perspectives and moments of connection, “a flicker of optimism in a troubled time.”

For Alef, this exhibition is “a celebration of resilience and a reminder of the miracles embedded in existence.”

While the past year, he says, has been marked by “unimaginable hardship,” the artist holds fast to the belief that “hope endures.”