In 2022, I took part in an open call on the topic of ending homelessness as part of The European End Street Homelessness campaign, in which I won.
The main idea of the design and composition is a young woman looking for a chance to join society and the warmth of home. In the upper part of the design, there is a swallow as a symbol of a safe return while carrying keys. In the original design, the background from František Radačovský’s painting “Understanding” is used, and the woman has a birdhouse with a lock above her left shoulder. The proposal was created in connection with the war in Ukraine.
Since the initiator of the mural painting was the Slovak nonprofit organization Stopa, the mural was to be created in Bratislava.
Pavel Sabela from the Stopa association was involved in the whole process and took on the bureaucratic part of the project, for which I am very grateful. At this stage, we were waiting for the approval of the area by the city of Bratislava, the municipality, and the preservationists. After some time, they rejected the area.
We decided to continue looking for a replacement. At the end of the year, the new area was approved , and we agreed on the implementation date. Obstacles are a matter of course, and on this date it was difficult to get a platform with a boom. Problems with delivering the platform on time or the right type delayed us another day. On the day of implementation, there was a new problem with a malfunctioning cable that prevented the platform from lifting. Communication with the authorities failed, and since we could not get the cable removed by a competent person, we did not start the implementation. We have finished this project for 2022.
In 2023, we tried to equip an area at an elementary school in Bratislava, which was not approved.
I have been living in Prague in the Czech Republic for some time, so I decided in 2024 to approach the organizers of the Wallz festival, which takes place every year in Pilsen. I sent them a message via email and described our situation. They liked our proposal and idea, so they started looking for an area for us to implement. The area they arranged for us was located in the historical part of the city of Pilsen, and a new approval process awaited us. We received the answer just before the start of the festival, the proposal was approved by the city and the monument office.
Since the color range did not change much, we had enough material for implementation. The organizers were very helpful in everything we needed to create the mural. Despite everything, on the first day we were forced to start only after 2 p.m.
The reason why we had to limit the work on the painting and thereby prepare about 20 hours for the whole week was the human factor. It was a lady who refused to release space under the painting in the morning and was not interested in an agreement with the city or the festival organizer. The time for consultations was significantly reduced, so we had to simplify the painting during creation, which meant removing some details and elements.
I participated in the painting with František Radačovský, and we were helped by Kamila (Cheza).
František is a native of Poprad and a graduate of both levels of the ZUŠ in the field of art. In 2011, he graduated from the engineering degree at the Faculty of Architecture of the STU in Bratislava. He came to graffiti in 1997 and created dozens of works during his time in the subculture. Currently, the author lives and works in Bratislava, where he completed an internship in various architectural and art studios and has held several exhibitions and realizations throughout Slovakia, as well as abroad. Currently, he works in architecture, painting, graphics, and various other types of visual arts.
When creating the painting, we used MTN 94, MTN Hardcore, and Montana Black spray shades in combination with acrylic facade paint.
I would like to thank all the organizers of the Wallz festival for the opportunity to create a mural painting in the center of the city of Pilsen.
Furthermore, the non-profit organization Stopa for the initial impulse and persistent struggle with the Slovak bureaucracy.
And finally, the artist with whom I participated in the painting and we supported each other in creating the mural painting “Understanding.”
Wallz
