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John Kiss (artist)

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John Kiss
Born
Jonathan Kis-Lev

(1985-09-12) September 12, 1985 (age 39)
Jerusalem, Israel
Occupation(s)Author, artist, peace advocate
Known forLiterary activism, graffiti, public art, peace-building
Notable workUnder the Floorboards (2024)
"27 Club" graffiti installation
"Peace Kids" mural project
Websiteauthorjohnkiss.com

John Kiss (born Jonathan Kis-Lev; September 12, 1985) is a Los Angeles-based author, artist, and peace activist best known for literary activism and public art.[1][2] She has produced artworks in Tel Aviv, Bethlehem and the United States.

Kiss draws on her family's Holocaust survival as a foundation for her storytelling and developed methods that combine personal history with broader narratives of justice.[3] Her 2024 novel Under the Floorboards explores the stories of Righteous Among the Nations during the Holocaust. Her 2014 mural "27 Club," honoring artists who died at age 27, was recognized by Time Out as one of Tel Aviv's most beautiful.[4] Kiss won the 2008 Bamahane Prize and The Shimon Peres Award for Visionary Leadership (2013).

Early life and education

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Kiss was born in Jerusalem to Soviet Jewish immigrants.[3] Her grandparents were Holocaust survivors. At sixteen, she was selected to attend Pearson College under the United World Colleges network, chaired by Nelson Mandela.[5] There, she studied Visual Arts and Peace and Conflict Studies, which shaped her interdisciplinary approach to activism.[6]

She later earned her bachelor's degree summa cum laude from the Open University of Israel focusing on art and psychology.[7]

Literary career

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Kiss's interest in literature developed while volunteering with organizations such as Doctors Without Borders and UNRWA. Her 2008 short story on cultural conflict earned the Bamahane Prize. She co-founded the Artists Forum at The Parents Circle to promote cross-border collaboration through literature.[8]

Her writing explores identity, social conflict, and the human cost of division, often drawing on her lived experience as a transgender artist. Under the Floorboards was praised for portraying historical moral courage and subtle resistance. Scholars have compared her to Elie Wiesel and Art Spiegelman for her use of multiple mediums in exploring Holocaust memory and justice.[9]

Artistic practice

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Kiss is known for using graffiti to communicate social issues. Her approach combines narrative elements with visual storytelling.[10][11]

27 Club graffiti

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Main article: 27 Club graffiti in Tel Aviv
The 27 club graffiti, an artwork in Tel Aviv

The "27 Club" mural features portraits of seven musicians who died at age 27 and was praised for both scale and narrative depth.[12] Kiss decided to include a portrait of herself as well, with the intention of erasing her own portrait when she would turn 28.[11] Over the years, the work has become known as one of Israel's must-see street artworks and has been featured in the Israeli street art documentary The Streets Are Ours ("HaRehovot Hem Shelanu").[13]

Peace Kids mural

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Main article: The Peace Kids (mural)

In the "Peace Kids" mural, created alongside Israeli and Palestinian youth, children are shown embracing one another across the divide.[14] The piece was made in Bethlehem with Palestinian artist Moodi Abdallah and has gained international recognition through magazine features and film.[15][16][17]

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Kiss's 2013 solo show "The City of Songs" at Griffin Gallery in Miami highlighted works from her Naïve Series.[18] In 2015 she showed her paintings at "O Lovely Land", GINA Gallery of International Naïve Art, New York.[19]

Peacebuilding

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Kiss partnered with the German Federal Agency for Civic Education to launch mediation workshops for leaders.[20] The Hallelujah Dialogue Project (2014) included cultural exchanges through art, spoken word, and sport.[21][22] Kiss's theoretical contributions have been studied by conflict resolution researchers globally.[23][24]

Critical response

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Critics have debated the effectiveness of Kiss's Naïve Series. While some praised its accessibility, Dr. Samuel Thrope criticized Kiss's portrayal of a unified Jerusalem as overly optimistic, arguing that it overlooks the city's structural inequalities.[25]

Awards

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Personal life

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Kiss lives in Los Angeles, California.[27] She advocates for refugee rights and LGBTQ+ equality,[28] and is gender non-conforming transfeminine, using she/her pronouns.[27]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Not your normal tour of Tel Aviv | Hamilton Jewish News". Hamilton Jewish News. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  2. ^ "Walls With Stories In Every Crack". The Mediterranean Observer. 1 May 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  3. ^ a b Schwäbische Zeitung (10 July 2008), "An optimist seeks peace (Ein Optimist sucht den Frieden)", Schwäbische Zeitung Magazine (in German), archived from the original on 9 June 2021, retrieved 17 February 2024
  4. ^ Boutique, Time Out (5 July 2018). "Spraying On Them: The most beautiful graffiti in the city". Time Out (in Hebrew). Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  5. ^ "Connection Art: Jonathan Kis-lev Biography". Connection Art Archive. 14 July 2014. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  6. ^ ""I learned I really can stretch my boundaries." | Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific". 4 February 2012. Archived from the original on 4 February 2012. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  7. ^ University President's Honors Recipients (in Hebrew) (PDF), Open University of Israel, 2009, retrieved 17 February 2024
  8. ^ Kiss, Jonathan, "Artists for Peace (archived)", The Parents Circle Families Forum, archived from the original on 7 August 2014, retrieved 17 February 2024
  9. ^ Thrope, Samuel. "The Metamorphosis: Jonathan Kis-Lev's Jerusalems". ZEEK. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  10. ^ Gal Or, Eran (6 May 2009). "America in the Heart of Tel Aviv". Makor Rishon. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  11. ^ a b Yam, Shir (22 February 2020). "Graffiti in Florentin, The Graffiti Capital of Israel". Check In/Out (in Hebrew). Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  12. ^ Fishman, Daniella (30 April 2021). "6 Incredible Street Art Pieces To Find In Tel Aviv". Jetset Times. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  13. ^ Horvitz, Ariel (27 Feb 2018). "In our streets: the proof that graffiti can turn a troubled neighborhood into a tourist destination". Makor Rishon. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  14. ^ Kiner, Saloma (21 November 2016). "A Tel Aviv, une méthode pour apprendre l'hébreu". L'Obs (in French). Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  15. ^ Zax, Talya (31 July 2016). "The Lessons They Didn't Teach Me on Birthright". The Forward. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  16. ^ Zeveloff, Naomi (7 August 2016). "Take a Tour with the Graffiti Geek of Tel Aviv — and Learn Hebrew, Too". The Forward. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  17. ^ "Front Cover". Peace Science Digest. 4 (2). May 2019. ISSN 2575-3886.
  18. ^ Peled, Sarah (19 March 2018). "New Exhibit of Israeli Naive Art". Megafon News (in Hebrew). Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  19. ^ "The Land We Love". Mutual Art. 4 May 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  20. ^ "The Search for Peace – The Israeli-Palestinian situation (Die Suche nach Frieden – Die israelisch-palästinensische Lage)" (PDF) (Press release) (in German). Berlin: Das Festival für junge Politik, Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung. 13 June 2008. p. 83. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 January 2009. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  21. ^ "Our Founders". The Hallelujah Dialogue Project. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  22. ^ "Getting together". The Jerusalem Post. 2014. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  23. ^ Braun-Lewensohn, O., & Kitain, B. (2016). The 'Parent Circle' Peace Education Program: Does It Make Any Change? Journal of Religion and Health, 55(1), 181–191. [1]
  24. ^ The Parents Circle – Families Forum. (n.d.). About Us. Retrieved from https://www.theparentscircle.org/en/about_eng/
  25. ^ Thrope, Samuel (21 March 2011), "The Metamorphosis: John Kiss's Jerusalems", Zeek, a Jewish Journal of Thought and Culture, retrieved 17 February 2024
  26. ^ Shani, Sivan (2014). Morgenstern, Yehuda (ed.). Young Leaders Forum of the President House (in Hebrew). Jerusalem: Kotarim International Publishing. pp. 5–11.
  27. ^ a b About the Author
  28. ^ Kiss, John. Wandel, Amri (ed.). "Personal Angle – Joni Kiss(Persona Angulo: Joni Kiss)" (PDF). Israela Esperantisto (in Esperanto). 156–157 (2012 Summer-Winter). Organo de Esperanto-Ligo en Israelo: 40–44. ISSN 1565-3315. Retrieved 17 February 2024.

Further reading

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  • Thrope, Samuel (21 March 2011), "The Metamorphosis: John Kiss's Jerusalems", Zeek, a Jewish Journal of Thought and Culture
  • Street Art Tel Aviv: In a Time of Transition. Lois Stavsky, 2021 Sussex Academic Press ISBN 978-0764354731
  • Very Good Word: Mila Tova Me'od, 2016. Matah Press, Tel Aviv. Israeli Dana Code: 78–1052623, p. 251
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