Brothers of Light is a contemporary street artist duo from Jerusalem, known for their international large-scale vivid art works using unique sets of old and modern symbols.
Personal lives
Brothers of Light began their joint journey in 2015. Consisting of real-life siblings, Elna (born 1988) and Gab (born 1991), the duo grew up in the skateboarding scene in Jerusalem, which served as their first inspiration. The brothers first began painting on stickers and other small objects before moving onto small walls. Shortly after, they were drawn to larger surfaces.
The duo studied at the Department of Visual Communication at Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem (in proximate years); over time they developed a shared visual language that stems from their mutual life experiences and childhood memories.name=Portfolio Magazine, Uri Druckman, Brothers of Light's last trip in Jerusalem | date= 17 Sep, 2019
Career Name According to the brothers, their name "Brothers of Light" was inspired by the title of their first solo exhibition, and their mother's desire for them to join forces and do something good. After her death, they began working together and decided to use this name for their first exhibition in 2015 as a tribute to her. The "Light" in the name was a reference to their mother, and the desire to spread positivity and do good in the world.
Art Brothers of Light have showcased their work both indoors and outdoors, using a variety of mediums such as murals, silkscreen prints, sculptures and paintings on canvases, ceramics and reused woods and metals. They are primarily influenced by the urban culture of the world's diverse streets, their connection to the skateboarding and hip-hop scenes, as well as worldly ancient cultures and symbols.
They have participated in international urban art festivals and residency programs in countries including Israel, France, Germany, Portugal,Lisbon, Portugal on Street Art Cities and the United States. In 2017, they teamed up with Israeli street artistsIncluding artists: Untay, Darfish, Pesh, Yonil, Dioz, and Manyearsagoin to form a collective called "Prettymess" and presented a group exhibition at Beit Ha'ir, Tel Aviv. In 2019, before leaving their hometown Jerusalem, they revealed their second solo exhibition, “Last Tripp in Jerusalem”. In 2022 they debuted their solo exhibition, “From Dirt”, in Jaffa, presenting a three-year project of painting over dozens of metals they salvaged from a garbage site near their studio.
Due exhibitions 2015 – Brothers of Light, SpotArt gallery, Jerusalem, Israel 2016 – Brothers of Light, Casino San Remo, Tel Aviv, Israel 2019 – Last Tripp in Jerusalem, Beita Gallery, Jerusalem, Israel 2022 – From Dirt, Yefet 30, Tel Aviv, Israel 2024 - “Glitch”, at Litvak Contemporary
Group exhibitions
2015 – La Manufacture 111 Gallery, Paris, France 2017 – Prettimess Collective, Beit Ha'ir, Tel aviv, IsraelAn exhibition by the PRETTIMESS collective at the Tel Aviv City Hall Museum, on Artbeat 2018 – Fresh paint art fair, Tel Aviv, Israel 2018 – The Destination Number 131: a journey to the interior through art, Paris, France 2023 – Contemporary Art Auction, Tiroche auction house, Tel Aviv, Israel 2023 – Surface Identities, Roe Green Gallery, Ohio, United States
Residency Programs
2017 – Ne-Na Artspace, Chiang Mai, Thailand 2019 – The Art Camp by LB project, Nice, France 2020 – ZYANYA, Mexico city, Mexico
Murals and Installations in Public Spaces 2015 – Mural painting at "Street Meet" festival, Wurzburg, Germany 2016 – Mural painting at "POWWOW Israel edition", Arad, Israel 2016 – Mural painting at "Loures arte publica" festival, Lisbon, Portugal 2017 – Mural painting at "Loures arte publica" festival Lisbon, Portugal 2017 – Mural painting at "Haifa mural festival", Haifa, Israel 2017 – Mural painting at "Ital collective artists program", California, USA 2018 – Mural painting at "IPAF festival SA", Cape Town, South Africa 2018 – Mural painting at "Jerusalem mural festival", Jerusalem, Israel 2018 – Mural painting at "Climax festival of arts" Darwin Hangars, Bordeaux, France 2018 – Mural painting at "Pavillon de la forret" RVCA artist network, Hossegor, France 2018 – Mural painting at "LE MUR 12" Project, Paris, France 2019 – Mural painting at "Superposition festival", Lyon, France 2019 – Mural painting at "IPAF Martinique 2019" edition, Martinique 2021 – Mural painting for "Lemala" Project, Jordan Valley, Israel 2021 – Sculpture created with Alexander Haiezki for Jerusalem Design Week, Jerusalem, Israel 2021 – Exhibition visual identity and murals: "It's Your Move!", Science Museum Jerusalem, Israel 2022 – Romania Tour: Three murals in three cities – Resita, Cluj – Napoca and Bucarest, Romania 2022 – Mural painting for "Lemala" Project, Ramla, Israel 2023 – Mural painting for "Ibug" Festival, Berlin, Germany
External links
Official website Gab and Elna – Bringing to Light to Gratify, article by Dror Hadadi presenting artworks by the duo
References