Ben Shamich or simply Moshiach - a classical wall artist

Ben was not born in Haifa, but he is the most Haifai there is. He moved to Haifa about a decade ago, and since then he has been dictating the tone of independent and Haifa work. His medium: walls. But unlike a typical graffiti artist, Ben doesn't just make walls, these are also pieces that incorporate a classical concept.

From his brushes on canvas and wood, he creates delicate, almost classical images that focus on gentle facial features, which are revealed to us through chaotic stains and splashes. These are gentle and accurate images. His work has been the object of collectors and auction houses for years and he sells his works for thousands of shekels.

Ben currently works in high-tech in the center of the country. He has an amazing studio in downtown Haifa - a must visit. He also works with machines and computers. Lately, Ben has started giving private workshops to small groups, 3 hours long. Creators and artists came to her who wanted to get to know the medium and its technique.

How did you start doing art?

"I've been drawing since I was a child, but it wasn't until I started doing graffiti 8 years ago that I really started to draw. I was awake to the creation in the space and I felt that I could just join it immediately. My first wall happened back when I was a kid. I pasted some pisstapes (a technique of pasting posters).

I don't sneak up and paint without asking the owner. In Haifa I know everyone, it feels like painting in my neighborhood, it's "easy". If I feel like painting on a certain wall, I simply tell the merchant in the market, and if he doesn't know me, then I tell him "I did the wall next to me." They're all quite flowing.'

What is the name of the medium you create in? 

"The technique I work with has no name. I started doing studio work while painting on walls. Canvas didn't work the best for me because I wasn't happy with the texture. I like to paint on white plywood, it's the most absorbent surface. In the world of walls, many artists are more illustrators than painters, and this is what is probably strange about my work - unlike them, I paint with spray, without lines. Like placing stains so that they sit correctly. This is an approach from the world of painting and not from the world of illustration.

The approach is opposite to writing - the way I use spray paint when I paint is not the way it is used in graffiti. My technique today is the texture, most of my focus is the finish, the stain. Everything is quite clear to me, this is a set of rules I created for myself. 

And I'm the one who chooses what to put the emphasis on, it's like jazz. We are all people of materials - I love antiques, history and objects. Since I started working in the studio I also work with metals - a fascinating world that requires a lot of knowledge and technique.'

In his studio there are countless machines - if you don't know Ben Aman, you'll think he's another worker in the workshop.

"Graffiti taught me to be in a non-ideal situation for creation, to take a step back and observe."

How did you get to Haifa?

Originally Ben Matach Tikva. He grew up in Ra'anana, but says that he has no feelings for the center, and emphasizes that he is not in touch with that part of his life. At the age of 16 he arrived in Haifa, and finally moved here.

Like everything in life, if you want to reach a certain situation - to sell art in Haifa, you find yourself asking how you create the movement to make it happen. It was clear to me where I wanted to place myself. My approach is that I invest in the catalog with the assumption that I am a known artist. I take myself seriously. Thus, I exhibit in an environment that buys art. When I closed the previous studio, I made a sale, sold most of the works and moved to the new space with 3 works. It made me realize that selling paintings is possible. 

How do you experience the artistic life in Haifa?

I really like the city. I love the artist friends here who create in the space, I love the DJ. The few private initiatives that exist in the area are the great volume of art in Haifa. In Haifa, the work is not flattering. No one does propaganda. There is no obsession with national identity here, and no one pretends to represent any extremism here, even though we are the most mixed society in the country, which is made up of extremists. 

How do you approach working on an exhibition or project? Soon you have a very local and Haifa opening

"I really like to fall in love with an idea. I want to be captivated. Sometimes, when I have ideas, I "fix" them, and sometimes I have to relax and wait for them to arrive. Sometimes there is the concept that leads me and sometimes it is simply a question I ask, trial and error, combining materials. Many times the idea is the question. Connecting aluminum and steel to wood is a technical test that stems from curiosity, sometimes the experiment is not successful. 

What makes me happiest is this moment when it's almost a success and then I know what the next step will look like. You don't foresee the result, but as soon as there is a "momentum", you find out that it is a success. 

Ben's course

Recently, Ben started giving private workshops for small groups of 3 hours. Creators and artists came, who wanted to get to know the medium and the technique. I attended and really enjoyed the learning process. The next exhibition will take place on 6/6/24 at the flea market gallery.