Young artist turns Jerusalem’s market into gallery of famous faces

Mahane Yehuda comes to life on the Sabbath as colorful murals of historical and contemporary figures appear on shops’ closed shutters

By Renee Ghert-Zand and Luke Tress for The Times of Israel

On weekdays, the alleyways of Jerusalem’s Mahane Yehuda market are a bustle of shoppers and sellers, a place bursting with sights, sounds and smells. Weekday evenings are similarly busy, with recently opened restaurants and bars attracting young people out for a night on the town.

But on Saturdays, the Jewish day of rest, the market has traditionally been empty and silent, with the shutters of the stalls rolled down and locked.

About a year ago this began to change as a street art gallery started to appear in the market. This gallery is visible in its entirety only on Saturdays, when large murals of famous personalities painted on the closed shutters appear. Famous contemporary and historical faces gaze at visitors as they stroll through the market’s alleyways, amazed to find art where there are usually stands piled high with fruit, vegetables, nuts and spices.

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