The 30th anniversary of the Visegrad Group and the end of Poland's V4 presidency were celebrated in a very unusual way - with murals. Four murals of one design appeared in the urban space of V4 member states. But that's not all! They were joined by another project, carried out on the initiative of the embassies of the V4 countries in Lisbon, during one of the world's most important festivals dedicated to street art. If it's a new trend, let it stay that way, because it's better to finance a mural that aesthetizes a building and the space around it than pompous ceremonies and monuments that the public often doesn't want to see.
We have more and more murals in Polish cities, we are getting more and more accustomed to them and are more and more eager to see new ones , according to research conducted by the Urban Forms Foundation from Lodz, under whose guidance many important murals have come out on the walls of Polish cities. It probably won't be an abuse if we say that large-format paintings are becoming an immanent element of Polish cities. Perhaps that is why the institutions responsible for honoring two occasions important for our country: first, the 30th anniversary of the Visegrad Group, and second, the end of Poland's presidency of the V4, have relied on this form. As a result, in the capitals: Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia, four murals of the same author's design were created, and to make matters worse, mural artists from the V4 countries carried out an extra project in Lisbon, during the mural festival "Lisboa MURO LX 2021." They also painted four murals on the overpass on Av. Pádua/Rua Centieira in Parque das Nações - each from the hand of an author from a different member country.
Four murals of one project in the capitals of V4 countries
Magdalena Miszczak, an illustrator and student at the Graphic Design Department of the Academy of Fine Arts in Lodz, created the mural project, which was painted in Warsaw, Prague, Bratislava and Budapest. The National Cultural Center, which together with the Ministry of Culture, National Heritage and Sports and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs initiated the creation of the mural, decided that it was the work that best reflected the idea of the 30th anniversary and the end of Poland's presidency.
The official unveiling of the mural designed by Magdalena Miszczak in Prague
© Good Looking Studio
The main theme of the mural is the mutual assistance of the countries that make up the Visegrad Group. Its characters, who are of different ages, paint together a mural commemorating the 30th anniversary of the V4.
I decided that I would apply something like , "tearing down the fourth wall" and use the fact that painting a mural is a group work, which can be used as a metaphor for creating something great. The characters are dressed in contemporary costumes with elements of the traditional folk clothing of their countries. With such a set I wanted to convey the memory of tradition, but also modernity and the desire to push with the times. I was guided by my idyllic version of international cooperation, full of good intentions, tolerance and help, " Magdalena Miszczak describes the idea of the project.
The first mural was created in Warsaw, on the wall of a building at 53 Dobra St. Its official unveiling was attended by, among others, Piotr Gliński (minister of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage), Rafał Wiśniewski (director of the National Cultural Center) and representatives of the Visegrad countries. Similar ceremonies were held successively in Bratislava, at 3 Gorky Street; Budapest, where the mural was painted at Klauzál 32 and finally in Prague - at Stroupežnického 10. The murals were created under the guidance of Good Looking Studio, which specializes in the implementation of various types of large-format painting.
Mural designed by Magdalena Miszczak realized in Warsaw.
© Good Looking Studio
400-meter community mural in Lisbon - a non-obvious project for the V4 anniversary
The capitals of the Visegrad Group member states as sites for murals commemorating the 30th anniversary of the V4 is an obvious location, but as it turns out, not the only one where murals have been created for the same reason. A very intriguing, though not as well-promoted as Magda Miszczak's murals, project was carried out in Lisbon, during one of the most popular street art festivals, "Lisboa MURO LX 2021." Four artists representing the Visegrad countries, Mikolaj Rejs (Poland), Pauser (Czech Republic), Fat Heat (Hungary), and the duo RCLS (Slovakia), created murals on the walls of the viaduct, referring to the theme of sustainability. In total, they cover 400 square meters.
Where did the idea to paint murals in Lisbon for the V4 anniversary come from? Well, the embassies of the member states in Portugal are heavily involved in the organization of the festival, they decided to bring the work of V4 artists to the festival audience.
Mural by Mikolaj Rejs on an overpass in Parque das Nações in Lisbon
© Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Lisbon
This project, which is not obvious at first glance, is valuable in that the content of the murals does not refer to the history of the Visegrad Group's creation. The artists focused on the present and the future. Their works refer to caring for the environment, ecology and sustainable development. At the same time, they are the result of an act of real joint action by the citizens of the Visegrad countries. While in Lisbon, visit the Parque das Nações area, take a walk on Av. Pádua/Rua Centieira to see what the V4 artists have painted on the viaduct!
