Tel Aviv City Portrait 1909
Photographer Ido Biran worked as an architect and filmmaker both in Tel Aviv and in Los Angeles until he realized one day that he had to dedicate himself to his one true passion: the White City. Biran returned to Israel and started wandering the streets of Tel Aviv, hopping on buses and stopping at random neighborhoods to freeze in time frames of his beloved city. Since he began the project the photographer has amassed hundreds of images, many available on his website Tel-Avivi. Biran directs his lenses at the people and bustling intersections of Tel Aviv (his favorite area, he says, is the long, sooty and vibrant stretch of Allenby Street), creating an urban portrait of the city’s ever-changing face. His latest work is a compilation of his signature images of the city all in one coffee table book.
Written by
Time Out Israel Editors
The book is also available at :
Tel Aviv Museum of Art - Sderot Sha'ul HaMelech 27
The Bauhaus Center - 77 Dizengoff St.
Ha'Migdalor - 18 Mikve Israel St.
Ha'Tzalmania - 5 Tchernikhovski St.
Little Prince Bookshop - 19 King George St.
Asufa Tel Aviv - 212 Dizengoff St.
Asufa Yafo - 2 Nachman St. Flea Market
Hadar Kria - 88 Ibn Gvirol St.
Gvanim - 63 Ibn Gvirol St.
Soft cover: 294 pages in color | English & Hebrew | Self published | April 2019
Delivery worldwide. Free delivery inside Israel. Pick up from Tel Aviv available.
(Book Intro)
The city of Tel Aviv was founded in 1909, when sixty families decided to leave the city walls of Old Jaffa and establish a new neighborhood. 105 years later, in 2014, I embarked on my own journey beyond the borders that delineated my life. I left a ‘typical’ career path and without any backup plan set out towards something new - with a camera in my hand.
I decided to explore Tel Aviv, spontaneously getting off the bus at different locations and taking pictures. There, on the street, I found the vitality, simplicity and inspiration I needed. I wandered the city at all times of the day, from the peak of summer, through the winter rain, each time catching another moment, another story. I photographed mainly from the street, but also while riding buses, from rooftops, the beach and even from within the waves themselves. I photographed architecture, street art, the sea and of course people: the exhilarating mix of residents, tourists, business owners, lovers and crowds that fill Tel Aviv’s squares, cafes, bars and markets.
After hundreds of hours of wandering and thousands of pictures and experiences, I decided to gather the best moments into one book. A book that would allow you to travel to the iconic as well as discover the hidden and explore the less familiar. Celebrating Tel Aviv’s 1909 start, I have chosen 190 photographs spread across 9 chapters. Each chapter takes you through a different part of the city. Each area has its own essence but taken together create a one city portrait of Tel Aviv-Jaffa: artistic, moving and dynamic.
Join me in exploring my favorite city!
Yours,
Ido Biran