Selected Works

Whether you are walking in the streets of Tel Aviv or Los Angeles, you’ll spot Nir Peled’s bold black-and-white murals on the walls of the city. The Herzliya based artist, known as Pilpeled, started his decorated career over a decade ago.

The autodidact entered the art world through graphic design. In 2005, before the presence of social media, posters were the face of Tel Aviv nightlife. Advertisements of image and text were plastered all over the streets, promoting events in the happening music scene. Peled began designing posters for his friend’s bands and was quickly asked to make flyers for the city’s most exclusive nightclubs. Working in a fast-paced environment where he had to produce three new posters a week was challenging. However, it  created a strong foundation for his artistic practice. Without formal education, Peled calls this instructional period, his “schooling.”  Pilpeled began to take his drawings off posters and plaster them across walls of Tel Aviv.

His hand-painted murals feature distinct portraits of figures either covering their faces or wearing masks. The black and white nature of his work, is just that, black and white. But, only in the literal sense. His thoughtful works, though they suggest unadulterated meaning, engage with a cerebrality of what it means to conceal and reveal. Is casting oneself in hues of only black and white an attempt to blend in or scream individuality?  The strokes in Pilpeled’s are textured, as if carved from linoleum. Peled’s recurring figures are of the third eye and a dog named, Comet. Surrounding his characters, he adds tribal elements, vases that look ancient, or bodies that are dancing, meditating, or holding hands. Since his early days drawing up until today, Peled’s inspiration stems from following other artists, comics, and graffiti. He is also greatly affected by architecture, photography, and music.

His designs and artworks can be found on walls and canvases around the world, at museums and exhibitions such as The Israel Museum and Art Beijing as well as on clothing and accessories as part of his street wear brand and collaborations with some of the worlds biggest brands as PUMA, Absolut, New Era, Bensimon and more.

EXHIBITIONS