ARTWORK /
BROKEN FINGAZ /
For the future and the past, for the time when we can think freely, for when the truth exists... that day, we will go hand in hand and drink from the blood dressed cup, in our crystal clear and fleeting table, a night that wasn't a night... an end without death. The power to formulate the thought gives the signal to return to the streets, in the struggle to enter the space join the crowd and choose to think that there is another way of looking, and that what has already been done... can not be destroyed.
BROKEN FINGAZ.
Incoherent Times.
How did the art and culture of a city as liberal as New York penetrate a country like Israel with all its history and a past so charged of conflict?
It took a lot of time for it to arrive, Graff started in the 70's in New York, only 30 years later it arrived at Israel. But by that time New York (like London and many other major cities) became this city for millionaires and lost a lot of its edge.
This is why, in a way, the original raw graffiti vibe is more alive in small undeveloped places.
Israel has been always so linked to religion and politics, how is the street like? What did you learn in the streets where you were formed? How do people assimilate your work?
It is very religious in some parts, like Jerusalem. Luckily, our city Haifa is way more laid back, I don't know If people are open minded, or that they just don't give a fuck... I'm ok either way as long as we can paint.
Under what concept does Broken Fingaz work in Israel? Which are the limits?
We don't limit ourselves, we keep changing as we go, as long as we are having fun and we feel like we challenge ourselves
In terms of redefining the limits of the street, religion, family and war, in what state is the youth today?
It feels like most of the messages are very incoherent, but maybe it makes sense because we are living in very incoherent times.
What do you adquire about religión when it’s time to work? In what do you believe and how is that belief is visibe in the final work?
We are not religious, but we are spirituals, and in our work, we are often trying to research the unknown.
We see the intention to show something somewhat half-diffuse but that has to do with the idea of multiculturalism, diversity, cosmopolitanism. How does this idea arise and how do you capture all this information?
We travel a lot, in the last 5 years we didn't stop moving around. The more we move the more we can feel comfortable in any geographic place, and the more you see this borders situation as an illusion. It all comes together in our art, and yet we try to find our authentic and personal connection, so we are not just taking a culture which is not ours.
Mini-bio:
Founded along the Haifa shores around 2001, the wandering Street Art Crew, the Broken Fingaz Crew has adorned many murals in numerous cities worldwide.
The crew is made of 4 artists (Deso, Kip, Tant and Unga) who collectively define the imagery of the Broken Fingaz, which includes numerous references to the American pulp & Marvel comics, B-movies of the 70’s and 80’s, psychedelic & pop art, collage & poster works, Szenenbildner, Italian giallo genre that composes an original & visually striking iconography. Street artists at the core, they’ve been called the Israeli representatives of graffiti. But the title, they say, isn’t accurate.
Their signature art, they’ve said in the past, draws ideas from American comic-book covers, old-school skateboard graphics and tattoos, and is meshed with local smarts.This multi-disciplinary crew dabbles in illustration, graphic design, murals, fashion design, elaborate posters and flyers for nightclub parties, album covers, silkscreen printing and animation, as well as music videos and fine art.
Many of the images are gory and brutal but are almost always depicted in funky colors, adding a sense of hilarity to the piece. They steer clear of political messages but definitely have what to say about sexuality and pop culture. Their drawing and spraying skills, masterful sense of composition and selection of pop colors and pop/comics imagery have made them over time one of the most admired street art crews, in the wake of US power duo Faile (also for their installation skills) and British pop master D*Face.
Extract from Widewalls.
We are interested in your point of view on the conflict with Palestine, what is the current situation at Israel? How do you think Israel looks itself to the world?
We think no matter what is your opinion about the solution to the situation, you need to at least acknowledge that the Israeli army is controlling 2 million people in the west bank. This situation is not only immoral, but it is also destroying the Israeli society, slowly but surely. It's a shame because we love this place, and there is a lot of amazing things going on here, but, at the moment, the people in control are taking us to a very dark place.
To what extent war, pain, violence and death are creative triggers?
Everywhere there is a strong darkness, there will be a strong light. So, it does create a lot of interesting things that you cannot see in other places.
Which is the origin of your families? Where did your ancestors came from?
Like Most of Israelis we are a dirty mix... Russia, Poland, Iraq and more.
Is Broken Fingaz's work an interpretation of the times we live in? A fragment of reality or simply a way of showing the world that there is another Israel? How does that affect the final work?
It is a personal expression that naturally also communicating with where and where we live. you might see it as Israeli art because we are Israelis, but we are also many other things.
Interview by Marcio Parks & Juan Cruz Molas y Molas.
Editorial Design by Juan Cruz Molas y Molas.
Images courtesy of Broken Fingaz.
SUBTERRANEO.
Una mirada auténtica sobre la subcultura.
(an authentic look about subculture).
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