The Insider

The cigarette rests nonchalantly on his bee-stung bottom lip. He squints as the Mediterranean sun kisses his profile on the coast of Tel Aviv, Israel. Pursed lips and curtained hair, loose-fitting clothes and an insubordinate stance, belongs to Russian native Anton at Brick Models. Six years in - the boy attempts to blend in with the décor but his presence is too immediate to be ignored. Israeli photographer Liron Weissman shoots Anton in the Brick Lane of Tel Aviv - a discourse on a bygone popular culture; letting 90s grunge loose on the streets of Israel.

Adapting to his second home effortlessly, he contentedly interjects the Southern Tel Aviv youth culture. Though having adopted a strong Israeli modus, his spine is nevertheless imbedded by his European heritage - a captivating amalgamation of two cultures. He takes on the role of the modern poster boy of a second-hand era with his cool apathetic nature, a shoutout to those whose walls were covered in 90s Leo. Confidence is his calling card and attentiveness his prime feature: he is the boy you wish you knew.

Similarly to the nonsensical nature of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and its fragmented lyric lines, stylist Shir Peled dresses Anton in the baggy, oversized style of the grunge culture. By pointing out the incoherency of the look: tees over lightweight knits, a buttoned-up plaid shirt underneath a relaxed zipped hoodie, seemingly ill-fitting trousers - we realize the unwilling behaviour of the pairings. Comparably, the song reluctantly submits to listeners, eventually offering sense to formerly concealed meanings. After much time spent with this boy, we know now that he is three-dimensional.