City councilors want Krakow murals to be protected and secured against vandalism
The councilors have adopted a directional resolution to President Jacek Majchrowski – Mayor of the City of Krakow. The originator is Alicja Szczepańska from the Krakow Councilors for Residents (Kraków dla Mieszkańców) club. He prepared a draft resolution on the prevention and protection of murals in public space against acts of vandalism.
How did the idea start?
- Mural “Travelers ul. Wielicka and tram”, can be seen by everyone who goes along Wielicka street or waits at the “Bieżanowska” public transport stop. It is located in Krakow on the building No. 2b at ul. Wolska. Its author is the Krakow painter Tomasz W Cotton
The mural shows dozens of portrayed people, Cracovians(men and women). The work was created in 2015. In 2018, Tomasz Wool painted a continuation of the mural entitled “Wielicka Street 100 years ago”. On it, you can also find portrayed inhabitants of Krakow. These murals enjoy a very positive reception among the inhabitants of Bieżanów and thousands of travelers traveling along Wielicka Street – emphasizes Alicja Szczepańska.
In April 2019, the vandal destroyed the mural with red paint. – Cracovians, through social media, expressed their huge indignation with this barbaric act of vandalism destroying our common space – we read in the resolution. Currently, this work has been carefully reproduced by the author, who restored its original appearance, although with some modifications resulting from repainting – adds the councilor. This reminds us that in the past other valuable murals were destroyed.
Other wrecked murals in Krakow
In 2012, the mural “Triumphal Gate of the City of Victoria Grunwaldzka” on the flyover at the intersection of Wielicka and Powstańców Śląskich Streets was damaged, which became the target of pseudo graffiti artists. In 2014, the mural at the clinic at Pachońskiego Street in Krakow, which was created to cover unsightly paintings, was also damaged by vandals. These are just a few examples of the losses that Krakow suffers from the thoughtless actions of pseudo-painters – writes Szczepańska.
She points out that murals are not purely aesthetic phenomena. – Over time, they become a social phenomenon, growing into everyday life, affect the lives of city residents. Murals are works of art created by artists. They are noticeable by everyone, and due to the public accessibility of the public space, they are a valuable complement to the strongly urbanized and subordinated function of the urban fabric – adds Szczepańska.
What does the mayor say?
Monika Chylaszek, the spokeswoman for the president, admitted that Jacek Majchrowski is in favor of protecting murals. – The city, however, only affects those that arise in places belonging to the municipality. One should also take into account that the mural is by definition a temporary work and it is natural that later the same surface is passed on to subsequent artists who want to implement their projects – Chylaszek said to journalists.
What do you think of the subject? I, for one, absolutely love the StreetArt / Murals of Krakow and I love hunting them and taking photos. It makes me sad to see them destroyed by local hooligans… especially the pretty ones, into which the artist placed great care, work and time. What is your opinion?
Yours sincerly,
The Twisted Red LadyBug That Loves The Murals of Krakow
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