Poct-Oct. 7, ‘Imaginary Duck’ Julia Shtengelov heals via art

For weeks after October 7, street artist Julia Shtengelov couldn’t bring herself to paint. Finally, she went to Park Hamesila in Tel Aviv and painted her signature black-and-white girl holding a sign that read “Bring the kids home.” “I felt relief,” Shtengelov said, recalling that day. Tel Aviv’s street art scene has flourished in the Florentin neighborhood alongside the city’s burgeoning alternative culture. Artists like Shtengelov have played a significant role in shaping the neighborhood’s visual landscape, with her distinctive works adding to the rich tapestry of political messages, social commentary, and artistic expression that defines Florentin today. Shtengelov, who paints under the name “Imaginary Duck,” never intended to become an artist. She was born in Russia to a Jewish mother and a Russian-Ukrainian father, both of whom she describes as “heroic.” Her family moved her and her sister to Israel in 1989 when Shtengelov was 13 years old. Street art by Julia Shtengelov. (credit: Molly Myers) Shortly after the move, her mother died of cancer and, just a few years later, her father died in a fire at their home. Firefighters said he likely fell asleep while smoking. At the age of 18, Shtengelov and her older sister were...