Street Meets (Mural) Art #mural
Czech visual artists are forging creative inroads into the public spaces of selected foreign cities (main and regional) in cooperation with local partners as part of an overarching commission that embodies the shared theme of Neighbourhood-Community-Reciprocity as well as general principles embodied in programmes of Czech centres prepared on the occasion of the Czech presidency of the EU Council in the second half of 2022 (e.g., sustainability, accessibility).
Leading Czech artists, illustrators, creators, designers and comic-book artists created a thematically linked series of large-scale murals encapsulating the genius loci (its topography and circumstances) enshrined in the public place of the given country. The works include the use of typographical abbreviations or, alternatively, transportable pieces that bring mobility to art.
Neighbourhood-Community-Reciprocity invokes the need for a sense of belonging, understanding and, at the same time, continual cooperation in life as it is lived. An important aspect is the nurturing of public space to which the appropriately selected artistic form may breathe a new dimension so as to enhance the quality of life in the urban environment. The reciprocal element of the project interconnects Czech art with foreign art in connection with local government or festival events.
The project was brought about in co-production between Czech Centres and the Lustr festival. It presents not only the European values of dialogue, solidarity and mutual understanding, but also the young Czech creators and the contemporary form of Czech illustration.
Map of murals
Involved centres
Partners of the project 
Artists involved in the project
Aleksi Ivanov
Czechia, Pilsen Manětínská, 323 00 Plzeň-Plzeň 1, Česko
Aleksi Ivanov is a multidisciplinary visual artist from Varna, currently living and working in Sofia. He started with graffiti in 2003 but quickly switched focus towards contemporary muralism and objects in urban environment. His work is dedicated to positive public space transformation so he often choses abandoned/ neglected places for his public interventions. His often naive, colorful style, with cartoon-like characters and illustrative elements evolves throughout the years and is ever-changing due to multiple collaborative projects with artists with different fields of expertise. He has a Bachelor's degree in Social sciences and social impact is the main purpose of his work. He is a co-founder of “Citywise” foundation, active force in Bulgarian street art - organizers of an international graffiti festival, systematic urban interventions, curators of multiple artists and art projects. Lately he is exploring digital illustration as a new media for his artworks.
FCB: facebook.com/aleksi.varna
IG: aleksi_varna
Ilona Polanski (*1986)
Tel Aviv, Israel Tel Aviv, Izrael
She is among the most famous and in-demand Czech illustrators. She majored in illustration and graphic design at Ladislav Sutnar’s Faculty of Design and Art at the University of Western Bohemia in Pilsen. After her studies she established the illustrating duo Tomski&Polski with her friend Luk Tomski. Her style is based on robust figurative stylisation and colourful surfaces, playfulness and simplicity. She focuses mainly on book and magazine illustrations. Large-format murals afford her special joy.
IG: ilonapolanski
Daniela Herodesová
Illustrator from Prague. She graduated from the studio of media illustration at The Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art in Pilsen. Her main focus is on creating figurative illustrations with a focus on stylization and emotions of characters, all purely in a digital environment using textures and bold colors. She is the author of a comic in the award-winning book IOGI and a mural of practicing figures in Pilsen. Her work and illustrations can be seen further in books, magazines and on social media.
Patrik Antczak (*1986)
Netherlands, Breda Nassausingel 6, 4811 Breda, Nizozemsko
A graduate of graphic design at the Faculty of Art and Design at the Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem and one of the most celebrated Czech illustrators currently working. He prefers to work with paper and has published an original book game called Alfabeta (Alphabet, 2018), which teaches children letters while also developing their aesthetic sensibility and fine motor skills through cutting and pasting. He does illustrations for publications and commercial brands and focuses primarily on children’s books. He has painted several murals. The largest can be found on the campus of the university of Ústí nad Labem, where it covers one side of a three-storey building.
WEB: patrikantczak.com
Tomáš Starý (*1994)
Bulgaria, Sofia ul. "Deliyska vodenitsa" 11, 1582 ж.к. Дружба 2, Sofia, Bulharsko
A freelance graphic designer and visual artist. He actively works in graffiti and public pieces. However, he applies his aesthetic sensibility in other related disciplines – user interface designs, webpages, logotypes and visual identities. In 2020, he successfully completed his studies at Ladislav Sutnar’s Faculty of Design and Art at the University of Western Bohemia in Pilsen, where he primarily devoted his attention to industrial and production design.
WEB: tomasstary.cz
Maria Makeeva (*1987)
Romania, Sibiu Sibiu, Rumunsko
An illustrator and graduate from the Illustration and Graphics Studio at Prague’s UMPRUM. Currently, she is focused on preparing illustrations for books and magazines as well as her own pieces – interior screen prints, posters and greeting cards. As part of Czech Grand Design, she has been nominated four times in the category of Illustrator of the Year. She has been among the favourite, highest selling illustrators in Bohemia for a long time. Her simple style is based on clean monochromatic surfaces, and she likes to work with mythological themes.
IG: maria.makeeva
Jakub Bachorík (*1994)
Hungary, Veszprém Veszprém, Külső-Kádártai út, 8200 Maďarsko
He graduated from the Illustration and Graphics Studio at UMPRUM in Prague, focusing predominantly on book illustrations and graphics, especially portrait printing and festive lithography. He favours working in large-format prints, such as sawn and milled woodcuts. As part of Czech Grand Design, he was nominated for the award 2021 Illustrator of the Year for his series of large-format paintings entitled Ne-u-vě-ři-tel-ná fantasmagorie, which depicted current conspiracy theories. Apart from working in large-formats, he focuses primarily on book illustrations and dabbles in comics.
WEB: jakobbach.tumblr.com
IG: jakubbachorik
Petra Dočekalová (*1991)
Poland, Kamienna Góra Tadeusza Kościuszki 4, 58-400 Kamienna Góra, Polsko
A graphic designer and typographer. She focuses on Czechoslovak calligraphy, hand lettering and lettering. Her doctoral project at the Type Design and Typography Studio at UMPRUM concerned the cultivation of an approach to writing, lettering and personal handwriting. She has been the editor and author of many books, especially TYPO9010 (2015) and Jaroslav Benda 1882–1970 (2019). She gives presentations at typographical conferences and runs workshops abroad. She works at Briefcase Type Foundry, where she’s creating new typefaces.
WEB: petra-d.com
IG: petra.typo
Přemysl Černý (*1985)
Spain, Madrid Madrid, Španělsko
An llustrator and graphic designer mostly working with drawing and collage. His style stands out through the distinctiveness of the style, playfulness, joy and a sense of humour. Přemysl co-founded with Lukáš Beran the studio Černý beran. Since 2017 he has been working independently at Studio Bunkr as well as teaching. He likes to create using analogue methods and with his hands. His favourite technique is especially monotyping.
IG: studiobunkr
David Strauzz (*1976)
Milan, Italy Via Enrico Fermi, Ispra VA, Itálie
Canadian street artist with Czech roots. He currently lives in Prague and settled with his studio in the Vysočany Art Centre Pragovka Art District. His parents came from former Czechoslovakia, emigrating to Canada at the beginning of the 1970s. He was born in London, Ontario and studied at the Ontario College of Art and Design University in Toronto. In 2012, he moved to the USA, where he exhibited his work in Boston and New York. Three years later, he decided to return to his roots and settled in the Czech Republic. David Strauzz holds exhibitions across Europe and is developing his work centred on the theme “Places and Faces”.
WEB: davidstrauzz.com
IG: davidstrauzz
David Krňanský (*1987)
Athens, Greece Filippou 16, Keratsini 187 57, Řecko
A former street artist and graduate of the Painting Atelier of Jiří Černický and Marek Meduna at UMPRUM in Prague. He is among a group of painters who met right in this very atelier and together created a distinctive visual language characteristic for one whole generation. His work can be formally characterised primarily by its expressive brushstrokes, unique morphology and reverence for the primary colours of the spectrum. Geometric shapes permeate his pieces. He often works abstractly. He divides his time between Prague and Athens.
WEB: davidkrnansky.com
IG: david_krnansky
Nikola Logosová (*1992)
Athens, Greece Filippou 16, Keratsini 187 57, Řecko
An illustrator with Greek roots. She gained her earliest illustrating experience as a student of illustration and graphics at Prague’s UMPRUM. She is among the most outstanding and award-winning current Czech illustrators, including Illustrator of the Year 2019 among others. She has illustrated a range of books for children and adults, creates posters for music clubs and has a definite soft spot for illustrated atlases and travelogues. Her style is striking because of the range of details, incredible intricacy and imaginative compositions using decorative rendering of images.
WEB: nikolalogosova.cz
IG: nikola.logosova
Tomáš Starý (*1994)
Bulgaria, Plovdiv Plovdiv, Bulharsko
A freelance graphic designer and visual artist. He actively works in graffiti and public pieces. However, he applies his aesthetic sensibility in other related disciplines – user interface designs, webpages, logotypes and visual identities. In 2020, he successfully completed his studies at Ladislav Sutnar’s Faculty of Design and Art at the University of Western Bohemia in Pilsen, where he primarily devoted his attention to industrial and production design.
WEB: tomasstary.cz
Petra Dočekalová (*1991)
Poland, Warsaw Emilii Plater 31, 00-688 Warszawa, Polsko
A graphic designer and typographer. She focuses on Czechoslovak calligraphy, hand lettering and lettering. Her doctoral project at the Type Design and Typography Studio at UMPRUM concerned the cultivation of an approach to writing, lettering and personal handwriting. She has been the editor and author of many books, especially TYPO9010 (2015) and Jaroslav Benda 1882–1970 (2019). She gives presentations at typographical conferences and runs workshops abroad. She works at Briefcase Type Foundry, where she’s creating new typefaces.
WEB: petra-d.com
IG: petra.typo
David Böhm (*1982) a Jiří Franta (*1978)
Great Britain, London Kensington Palace Gardens, London W8 4QY, Velká Británie
Visual artists and illustrators. They met while studying at the Academy of Fine Art in Prague and have continued to work as a creative duo. They have been jointly nominated three times for the prestigious Jindřich Chalupecký Prize. Their books have been awarded, for example, Der Deutsche Jugendliteraturpreis, Bologna Ragazzi Award or at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. Both primarily focus on illustrations and fine art. David is the author of many children’s books. Jiří published the successful autobiographical comic Single (2019). As part of Czech Grand Design, they jointly won the award 2021 Illustrator of the Year for illustrating the book Město pro každého (City for Everyone, 2021). They enjoy experimenting, trying new things and inventing.
WEB: bohmfranta.net
