On the shield walls in Brno's Bronx, giant murals will be created

Brno - The Brno Bronx, previously an overlooked neighborhood between Francouzská Street and Cejl, is transforming into an open-air gallery. So-called murals, or large-scale paintings, will be created on the gable walls of apartment buildings, in gaps, and at other suitable locations. Today, work began on the first one. It ironically depicts the founder of genetics, Johann Gregor Mendel, checking on an experimental pea. The goal is to gradually decorate 15 to 20 gable walls.

The project is backed by writer and publisher Martin Reiner. As a resident of the Bronx, he observes the dynamic changes the neighborhood is undergoing. He wants the new face of the Bronx to also include art. "Many people perceive the Bronx with a twenty-year delay; for them, it's still a neighborhood they don't visit. When the neighborhood presents this new face to the rest of the city, people will have a reason to come and see it, and they'll realize it's a completely different place than it was in the 90s," Reiner told ČTK.

According to Brno-střed Mayor Vojtěch Mencl (ODS), the neighborhood has potential, as developers are constructing new apartment buildings based on designs by renowned architects. However, the city district feels a debt from the past when the neighborhood did not receive the attention it deserved. The Municipal Gallery project fits into plans for its revitalization, with Berlin's Kreuzberg mentioned as a model.

The first murals are financed by the city with a sum of about 1.5 million crowns based on a project that gained public support in participatory budgeting. In addition to Mendel, works by Eva Koťátková, Petr Malina, František Petrák, and probably also the acclaimed Russian Marat Danilyan will be created on Cejl.

Reiner plans to fund additional murals through the emerging association New Bronx from donations, community funding, or grants. They will be created not only on municipal buildings but also on properties owned by cooperatives or other owners. For example, there are plans for a piece by street artist Tim or works by František Skála at the Trauma Hospital.

The authors of the first mural "Mendel Checks an Experiment" are Vendula Chalánková and Petr Lysáček. Their design plays with irony and humor, portraying Mendel in a style characteristic of Chalánková. The design will be transferred to the wall by artists from the studio Malujeme jinak. "We're just here to watch; we don't even have to touch it. It's the ideal commission," Lysáček said humorously.

Specialists from Malujeme jinak projected the design onto the wall on Monday evening and recorded the basic outlines. "Now the big coloring book for adults begins," said Lukáš Veselý just before he and his colleagues started filling the surfaces with facade paints. They will need dozens of liters, as well as sprays for details, and finally, they will varnish the painting to prevent fading. It should last for years on site - unless the gap is built over.