Dogs of New York art exhibit shines spotlight on wonderfully whimsical artist

New York, New York - A stunning dog-centric art exhibit is currently on view in New York City in case you find yourself in need of a little pup pick-me-up!

A stunning dog-centric art exhibit is currently on view in New York City in case you find yourself in need of a little pup pick-me-up!
A stunning dog-centric art exhibit is currently on view in New York City in case you find yourself in need of a little pup pick-me-up!  © Collage: Screenshots/Instagram/@moshava & Shani Nizan

Dogs of New York is a wonderfully whimsical art exhibition located at Moshava Art Gallery in the West Village through April 18.

The person behind these intricate Bic-pen illustrations is Israeli artist Shani Nizan, who started off by handing out "human-animal" postcards around the different neighborhoods of NYC.

"When I walk the streets feeling lost, some moments are able to draw me out of this feeling, for example: when I see a dog walking towards me, looking for attention, making eye contact, as if we are talking. In that moment I forget everything but how beautiful animals are," she wrote in a blog post.

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"All I have to do is keep walking the streets of New York City with my postcards in my pocket, and once I see a dog that matches one of the postcards, I can give it as a gift to the owner, and we all win!"

These random acts of kindness eventually expanded into the exhibit Dogs of New York, a venture that shows off a similar art style to Nizan's work as a tattoo artist at Atelier Eva.

An artist statement on Nizan's personal website reveals her desire "to connect my audience and myself to that childlike feeling of innocence" and help others rediscover their "ability to find the utmost joy in the small things, living in the moment through them."

Cover photo: Collage: Screenshots/Instagram/@moshava & Shani Nizan

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