MAMALI – Crocheting in the public space – Street Art & Graffiti

MAMALI – Crocheting in the public space

Liza Mamali is a unique crocheting artist that using wool as an artistic expression tool in the public space since 2014. This is a very unique technique in the street art scene, making her art recognizable and prominent in the streets. One of her great art works, is not by chance, near an iconic wool shop at 31 Nahalat Binyamin Street in Tel Aviv.

MAMALI immigrated to Israel from the Soviet Union and in the process of self-searching was exposed to the crocheting art and began crocheting freestyle.

What are your motives for creating in the public domain?
"For me it’s the purest sharing. The most sincere act of love is when you work hard on a piece and then just hang it on a street for everyone to enjoy! It’s fun as well to interact with a city, it feels like you become a part of it. Street is the best gallery ever existed for sure. Especially because my art can reach all sorts of people, not only those who visit museums".

If you have a nickname – how it was born and what it represents?

"The name ‘Mamali’ was invented by my daughter. When she was small she used to call me like that and that was the time when I was born as an artist actually. so I kept this name to never forget who’s my greatest muse".

Is there a key message or theme in your works and what is it?

"It’s always the reflection of my inner state, of course, and it’s all about the nature of humanity in general. I think my main idea is still to remind people that we are part of the natural world, not the technological one that we are trying to create very persistently; even though the media I use (threads) and the technique (crocheting) is considered to be old fashioned, for me it’s the desire to move with the pace of nature, not rushing all the time".

Do you make a sketch before working on the wall? Tell about your work process
"Sometimes I do sketches, sometimes not . Sometimes I create a piece and then find a location, sometimes vise versa. So there are no rules in my creations…I like to follow the flow"

What are the techniques you use?
"I crochet mostly. Like 99% of my work is crocheting and then I either glue it to a wall or stitch it to a fence or any other construction that I want to cover. I try different techniques from time to time, but turn back to the crochet anchor, which is the simplest instrument for me, yet a very powerful one 😉"

Tell an interesting experience that happened to you while creating on the streets?
"It’s always fun, for sure. The feedback from the people are always super positive and that’s what keeps me going. I never had negative experiences. There are, I believe, a lot of interesting experiences ahead 🙏❤️"

At the end of the post you will find a link to Instagram of MAMALY.

Link to Instagram of MAMALY.

About me

My name is a Dror Hadadi and I have always loved and been attracted to the subversion art of graffiti. The urban art, which takes place in the public space 24/7, captivates my heart.

In my view, graffiti, is a free entry ticket to a global exhibition that is constantly changing, growing and evolving.

The graffiti creates and drives an artistic dialogue between the viewer, the architecture and the urban life. Sometimes graffiti disrupts, hurts,
and shatters its presence on the wall. Sometimes it brings the public wall to life, allowing us a colorful and exciting glimpse into the graffiti artist's private world – and our own world as viewers.
In both cases, instant communication and dialogue is created between the viewer and the message left for him on the wall.
The graffiti, due to its presence in the urban-public space, engages in dialogue with us on a daily basis, enabling us to communicate with the space near us, which serves as decor for our living and urban environment.

Enjoy!