The city of Tel Aviv-Jaffa will be a huge canvas for the works of talented Israeli illustrators (and some non-Israelis, such as Urban Sketchers) during Illustration Week, May 22-31.
Curated by art critic Yuval Saar of the Hebrew-language arts portal Portfolio, Illustration Week will feature dozens of outdoor and indoor exhibitions, plus 20 shows and activities including workshops and discussions with both rising and internationally renowned illustrators. Most of the events are free of charge.
The feast of visual culture will be presented at venues including Beit Ha’Ir, Jaffa Port, Tel Aviv Port, Rothschild Boulevard, the Eretz Israel Museum, the Benyamini Center for Contemporary Ceramics, Tel Aviv Artists House, Ariella House Public Library, Hamelaha Workshop print studio, the Tachana, furniture design center Kastiel, the Mazeh 9 social center for young residents and the café chain Loveat.
“Readers of the Portfolio website over the past nine years know how much I envy illustrators for their talent to create a world, and the wonderful connection they have between the hand and the head,” said Saar.
“There are so many great things happening in the field, and we are discovering more and more new talent entering the market, but their work does not always resonate with the public. Illustration Week started out as an opportunity for the public to personally interact with illustrators I had covered in the press. What started as one exhibition led to a broad celebration.”
Tzlilit Ben Nebat, director of arts for the municipality, said Illustration Week is the first of three events planned for this year. The next one will be held in September and will focus on artists working in public shelters, and in December the public will be welcomed to tour artists’ studios in the city.