march-2012

Hanina
Contemporary
Art is run by an
artists’ collective
an opportunity to discover a creative
scene in the raw.
Aside from the art, the area’s cuttingedge
credentials are further asserted
by the presence of a number of indie
fashion houses. In fact, some of Israel’s
hottest labels can be found behind
unostentatious storefronts, such as the
colourful idiosyncratic prints at Frau
Blau (fraublau.com) or the clean retro
creations at Delicatessen (4 Barzilay
Street). Check out the fashionistas in
The idea behind
Frau Blau’s
clothing is
quality with a
humorous twist
innovative couture mingling with artists
in paint-splattered jeans at cafés such
as LovEAT (1 Barzilai Street) or Aba Gil’s
Organic Hummus (55 Yehuda Halevi).
Any day in Gan Hahashmal should end
in Levontin 7 (levontin7.com), a basement
nightclub with an astonishingly eclectic
programme that ranges from accordion
festivals all the way to acclaimed
grunge rockers The Melvins. Daniel
Sarid, the club’s artistic director, was
an early pioneer who saw, he says, the
neighbourhood’s “enormous potential to
become Tel Aviv’s next hotspot”.
Like most down-at-heel
neighbourhoods transformed by
creatives, Gan Hahashmal will one
day face the familiar question of
gentrifi cation: can it retain its arty edge
as property values soar? “The scene is
thriving,” Daniel Sarid says, “but I hope
the area can keep its alternative vibe.” No
one can know the future, but for now at
least, Gan Hahashmal is at the creative
vanguard of a city magnifi cently coming
into its own.
Art Weekend Tel Aviv is taking place on
21-24 March. tel-aviv.gov.il
THE BUZZ | TEL AVIV ART
UP AND
COMING
Visit these secret arty
districts before everyone
else discovers them
LE PANIER
MARSEILLE
Long left
dilapidated,
Marseille’s
oldest and most
atmospheric quarter is morphing
into a fashionable bohemian
neighbourhood, where traditional
taverns sit alongside innovative art
spaces, such as Vidéochroniques
(videochroniques.org).
PODGÓRZE
KRAKOW
Across the river
from central
Krakow, the
once desolate
Podgórze has been rejuvenated by
the young and fashionable, seen
hanging out at the Mostowy Art Café
(8 Ulica Mostowa) or the Drukarnia
jazz bar (1 Nadwislanska), a hip
drinking hole and music venue.
TRIBALL
MADRID
Regeneration
has turned this
rundown barrio
into a haven
for the city’s edgiest artists and
fashion designers. In a typical story,
La Maison de la Lanterne Rouge
(lamaison.es) is a former brothel
turned funky clothes shop, theatre
space, gallery and bar.
TRAVELLER | 21