Over two impressive decades, Broken Fingaz have earned international acclaim as the crew who pioneered the Israeli graffiti scene. Hailing from a region fraught with tension, their distinctive brand of bold and visionary psych-pop art offers escapism and reflection on everything from sexuality and spirituality, to magic and mortality.
Working in collaboration, Broken Fingaz have created ambitious works, in both scale and endeavour. Whether its monumental murals, award-winning animations or album art for the likes of Pearl Jam, U2 and Blink 182, Broken Fingaz’ vision and sense of humour has earned them a reputation as one of the most energised graffiti crews on the contemporary art scene.
We’re launching Broken Fingaz at Enter Gallery with original artworks from founding member, Unga as part of our upcoming group show – The Mix. We’re celebrating with a Private View on Friday 27th September, and you’re invited!
In today’s blog, we’re chatting to Unga to discover how Broken Fingaz initiated Israel’s graffiti scene, the importance of collaboration and experimentation to their artistic collective, and to learn about the personal inspirations behind the vibrant original works available at Enter Gallery now.
Teen Spirit
Broken Fingaz Crew consists of Unga, Tant, Deso and original founding member, Kip. The crew hail from the northern Israeli city of Haifa. We ask Unga to tell us a little more about the moment he discovered graffiti and how it ignited his creative fire.
“Kip and I were in high school together. It was around 2000, 2001 and at this point the only graffiti in the Middle East was political writings. There was nothing similar to the New York or European styles.
One summer when we were 15, Kip went to visit his Grandma in Bromley and he came back with a magazine full of graffiti. It blew our minds. We went to the DIY shop straight away and started graffiti bombing.”
Jewish culture centre in Haifa, 2018
Fuelled by teenage energy and adrenaline, the duo threw themselves into creating, producing works inspired by 80s skateboard graphics and the American comics they loved. Soon Haifa’s first graffiti crew was born.
“We knew so little. It took us a long time until we figured out what we were doing, because there was no generation above us to learn from but we didn’t care – it was so exciting and it was exactly what we needed.”
Liberty to Invent
Fast forward to 2004, and the crew were living together in a creative suburb of Haifa called Hadar. As well as creating art, the crew had opened a graffiti shop and had branched out into the world of throwing parties. With a good few years of honing their artistic talents under their belts, who better to design the posters and promotional materials than the crew themselves.
This period proved fruitful in terms of quick development and catching the attention of people across Israel and beyond. Unga tells us:
“None of us had formal art education, so this time period was our art school. Making posters for the parties on a weekly basis taught us a lot about the craft, we got instant feedback, and that is really important for growing.
The parties became a big thing and people from all over the country started to go. We were designing elaborate sets and installations and had started to bring over international artists for the events. Our art started catching the eye of promoters from Tel Aviv, who then wanted us to design posters for their events.”
Going Viral
While Broken Fingaz were earning acclaim across Israel, it wasn’t until 2010, when a stop motion animation they made on the roof of their flat went viral that the world sat up and took notice. Soon, the crew were receiving proposals and commissions for projects around the world. Unga reveals:
“2011 was the first time that we travelled as a crew. We had one project in China, then another, Cambodia the year after, and then a show in London. This kick started what basically became a decade of travelling the world for exhibitions and to paint murals. It was a fun but very demanding few years.”
Team Work
Collaboration is something that plays a key role in Broken Fingaz Crew. And this didn’t just happen by chance, it was how they were raised. Unga elaborates:
“Working in a collective is a big part of what we do. We are a second generation art collective. My Dad and Tant’s Dad have an art and architecture collective that has been active since the 80s. In the 80s and 90s they had a community on Mount Carmel, outside of Haifa. We were five families living in nature, doing a lot of art. Collaboration is our background. It’s rooted in us, this way of working as part of a bigger team.”
Of course, when it comes to graffiti art, it’s common to work in a crew for protection and for producing bigger works. But as Broken Fingaz have branched out to textiles, installations, painting, limited edition art prints and more, we were interested to understand how collaboration continue to inform how they work. Unga tells us:
“We really feed from the conversation between each other, allowing and pushing each other to try different things. It’s something that’s key for our work. When it becomes too comfortable, we’re always trying something new. It can be scary and maybe we fail, but as a collective, we like to push it and allow each other to make mistakes.”
“Freedom to be experimental and to each pursue our own artistic journeys is important to all of us. Although we work together and don’t really care much about the credit of who did what, each of us still have our own individual works. It’s a good balance. It allows you to enjoy both of those worlds – the power of the collective, and the freedom to explore your own path and interests.”
Personal Inspirations
The artworks that we are launching from Unga are the perfect example of how Broken Fingaz operate. Each of the five original pieces launched as part of our group show, The Mix, are born from this desire to experiment.
The Mix will feature five colourful artworks created by Unga using oil paint or pastels – both of which were new mediums for the artist at the time. Speaking these works, Unga reveals:
“Sometimes the subject is what starts the painting or what sparks an idea, but this time it was the other way round – I wanted to push myself to try new ways of creating, so I focused on capturing my immediate surroundings. The result is something more personal than other pieces, as I was capturing my life at the studio, or at home with my family. I was trying to find more naïve ways to express myself, drawing inspiration from how I see my kids create.”
Looking at the prolific output of Broken Fingaz and hearing about their free-spirited approach to creation and to supporting each other to thrive, we were interested to understand what Unga hopes to convey or make people feel via his art. He tells us:
“If I see a piece of art, or go to a show or a gallery and I leave wanting to head to the studio straight away to create, that means it’s a good show. If our art inspires anyone to do something creative then I’ll be happy.”
Explore our collection of Broken Fingaz artworks.
