Locals have a thing for expressing themselves. ISLA has a true admiration for artists and designers and in the planning of its own establishment, local and international art has played an inspiring role in how an authentic sense of place was created and continues to define ISLA’s atmosphere. The interior of the hotel and then stepping out into Tel Aviv’s city life go hand-in-hand. They complement one another’s aesthetic, style and vibrancy. Israel has become an under-the-radar player in street art and homegrown names like Know Hope, Dede, Klone, Brothers of Light, and Broken Fingaz have enveloped the alleyways, nooks, crannies, parking lots and unexpected corners of the city with their subversive, thoughtful and dynamic illustrations and prose.
Head to the Florentin neighborhood for large-scale murals side-by-side with 3D, pocket-sized, blink and you’ll miss ’em paste ups. The South Tel Aviv streets are also home to a smattering of independent galleries and artists’ studios well-worth a peek. If you’re lucky, you’ll catch artists in action or happen upon a gallery that fits your fancy.
For those who really want to dive in deep, there are a host of street art tours that take place weekly through local tours groups that travel through art-heavy pockets of the city, from Nachalat Binyamin to Florentin and Levinsky streets and further south into the Shapira neighborhood. When discovering the southern part of Tel Aviv, the central bus station is also a hub for art work and a gallery is set up on the 7th floor, which has been spray-painted by more than 160 Israeli and international street artists. It has become known as the largest show of graffiti in Israel and continues to attract locals and visitors alike.