Bulls on Parade

I’m not sure where the phenomenon of the urban artistry of concrete/fiberglass animal painting comes from. It’s cool, don’t get me wrong, although I can’t explain why exactly, but I find it a bit odd. My first experience was with the painted cows in NY. I also recall gargantuan teddy bears all over the streets Berlin a few years ago (creepy!).
I read something about pigs in Cincinatti (treyf!), moose in Toronto, sharks in San Jose and the absolute greatest idea ever…the Mr. Potato statues of Rhode Island.

I know that Tel Aviv had cows and penguins and Jerusalem had (and still does in a few places) Lions. I recall seeing Dolphins somewhere but can’t recall where… Herzliya? Raanana? My imagination?

In any case, Tel Aviv uber-blogger Imshin reports that fiberglass bulls have invaded Tel Aviv. Bulls? What connection does the bull have to Tel Aviv? Does the bull symbolize Israeli machismo?

I also found penguins troubling. The only place I’ve ever seen penguins in Israel was at the Jerusalem Zoo. It’s shame because we have several cool indigenous beasts in this biblical land that would make awesome street art. Someone needs to stand up for the ibexes, hyenas, jackals, hyraxes, hyaenas and wild boars of Israel. Okay, so wild boars might offend Jewish and Moslem religious sensibilities, but the rest can work. They deserve more.

What animal would you like to see on the streets of Tel Aviv or Jerusalem one day?

The photo on this entry was taken by Savta Dotty. Check out more photos of the Bulls of Tel Aviv at Safta Dotty’s flickr page.

UPDATED: I have been informed that use of the the bulls is in honor of the 70th anniversary of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Still, give those cute hyraxes the respect they deserve.

Crossposted to Israelity.

Tags: tel aviv