Urban swimmers and other splashy murals brighten up Prague's gray spaces

The season of "artistic interventions" created within the Art for the City program (Umění pro město) is in full swing. For the second year in a row, previously blank walls and underpasses are coming to life throughout Prague.

The MuralArt UM project took off at a time of pandemics and gallery closures with the goal of making art more accessible and supporting artists who have lost income.

"These artistic interventions in public spaces have had a great response, people no longer have to just walk quickly through previously unwelcoming places. We will definitely continue to revive neglected walls and corners in the center of Prague and housing estates," says Hana Třeštíková, City Councillor of the capital city of Prague for culture and tourism.

The street artist Toy Box, whose design with an artistic rendering of the motif of Perak impressed the jury the most, is now finishing the mural in Žižkov. Scenes from the life of the mythical hero from the times of the Protectorate, who was associated with Žižkov, will be displayed on the pillars of the pedestrian bridge over Husitská Street.

According to ethnographer Petr Janeček, the legends about Perak originated in formerly industrial districts of Žižkov. Toy Box's idea was to return this legendary fighter against Nazis to the "place where he belongs."

Other artworks from the MuralArt UM project are being created in the center of Prague and other parts of the city. Since the beginning of the year, murals appeared on the underpasses at Thomayer's Hospital, in Řepy, and on the tram turnaround at Nádraží Hostivař.

David Mazanec has transformed a gray dull tram turnaround at Nádraží Hostivař into a colorful swimming pool, in which swimmers circle around in an endless day and night loop, just like the trams whose "life" inspired the artist.

The mural of Tron (Michal Škapa) and Domino (Ondřej Klíma) can be found at Thomayer Hospital. The artists' style is derivative from their graffiti work in the 90s. Their work often features urban motifs and fragments of fast-flowing life in big cities.

Alongside Toy Box's Perak, a mural is being created in an underpass in Jižní Město. In total, 12 new murals will be created in the capital this year, four of which will be in collaboration with galleries as part of the Wall Street Festival.

"After years, Councilwoman Třeštíková started the city's interest in art in public space, taking care of existing artworks and implementing new interventions. I believe that in cooperation with the city we will be able to maintain this momentum," adds Magdalena Juříková, Director of the City Gallery of Prague.