Monsters

by ElyB

Description

Monsters is a deeply personal and vibrant visual memoir by Ely Benhayon, chronicling his journey from Israel to New York City in the 1970s. This layered, graffiti-abstract piece is more than a celebration of color and character—it’s a timeline of transformation, memory, and artistic awakening. The “monsters” in the artwork are stylized avatars of Ely at different stages of his life, each embodying emotion, change, and growth. Set within a chaotic cityscape, these characters inhabit familiar corners of Ely’s youth—from the Alamac Hotel, where he first lived after migrating, to the Far Rockaway streets where he came of age and discovered graffiti. Each level of the painting is a slice of NYC life as Ely experienced it. The A Train, which became his favorite line to tag, runs like a pulse through the composition. Iconic spots like Joe’s Pizza, a music shop, art supply stores, and old sporting goods shops are lovingly painted into the cityscape, preserving the texture of a city that raised him. The piece also reflects the tension and joy of adapting to a new country, using humor and surrealism to explore themes of identity, rebellion, and belonging. The monsters, while playful, are also guardians of memory—marking moments of solitude, discovery, and artistic defiance. In Monsters, Ely doesn’t just share a story. He brings the viewer into a world that shaped him, filled with bold energy, graffiti dreams, and the enduring spirit of NYC street life.