Street art has thrived in Kyiv since Ukraine’s EuroMaidan Revolution more than two years ago, and this summer the Ukrainian capital welcomed more than 30 artists from all over the world to let their creative skills loose on city walls.
As a result, Kyiv now boasts the largest Byzantine-Greek style mural in the world, painted by 28-year-old Athens-based Greek artist Fikos. He came to Ukraine in late June at the invitation of the Sky Art Foundation, a private initiative to support the contemporary arts in Ukraine.
The 46-meter high mural, named “Earth and Sky,” is located at 4 Akhmatova St. in Kyiv. In comparison, Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, one of the biggest Christian churches, is 55 meters high. It took the artist 13 days to create the mural.
“I painted an ecumenical theme, with the colors inspired by the building itself and the neighborhood,” says Fikos.
The artist said people in Kyiv seem to respect their city and its architecture more than in his home city. Compared to Athens, walls in the Ukrainian capital are cleaner and less damaged by graffiti, Fikos says.
In May, the Sky Art Foundation organized a festival called the Mural Social Club, which has seen around a half-dozen large murals crop up in the Ukrainian capital. The foundation hopes the murals will embellish and transform the cityscape.
And it’s not just a matter of selecting a wall and letting the artist get to work – for each mural the festival organizers had to gather together documents and permits from the city authorities and district administrations, as well as gain permission from the residents of the buildings.
Foundation Director Yulia Ostrovska says that one of the festival’s goals is to socially and esthetically educate people, especially those living outside the dynamic city center. Dmytro Palienko, the founder of Sky Art Foundation, is quoted on its official website as saying that about 80 percent of the artworks created during the first stage of the Mural Social Club are located in residential areas of the city.
Kyiv’s suburban districts are poorly served for architectural sights or other attractions, so murals, as free and accessible public art, benefits everybody, the festival organizers say. They hope to increase the overall level of culture in residential zones, as well as improving these city areas’ looks.
The foundation’s communication manager, Julia Lazniuk, also says that public art encourages city residents to take better care of their surroundings: “Somebody may not throw trash on the ground or set up another kiosk,” she says.
According to Ostrovska, the foundation’s aim is to promote international cultural exchanges, as well as the integration of Ukrainian culture into the world art scene. Since 2014, the foundation has supported the development of a new generation of Ukrainian painters working in the sphere of contemporary art.
Lazniuk said she was sure that there are lots of great young artists in Ukraine that are yet to be discovered. “They are very trendy for a European audience, and will be able to promote Ukraine abroad.”
