Brno - The pavement around the so-called White House at Žerotínovo náměstí in Brno is beginning to be adorned with a large-scale mural. Artists Patrik Antczak and Jakub Jahn are creating a piece titled I See Many Good People, which aims to symbolize a diverse society, delight children, and engage people in the public space. The painted figures will carry colorful banners in the shape of bubbles, into which children and adults can write everything they are joyful about in life, the artists said today to the journalists.
"People help each other, take care of their families, meet friends, and work on their dreams. We want to capture these positive aspects of humanity through our painting. The depicted figures will represent various groups and types of people, from a pregnant woman to athletes to those with disabilities. We want to fill the square with happy people who have come out to share their joy with others," Jahn said.
"At the same time, we did not want to write slogans and be agitative, which is why we decided to let people write what brings them joy. Moreover, they will do it with chalk, which will wash away after the rain, and there can be something else later. This way, our painting will always live and renew itself," Antczak described.
The artists began painting on Tuesday, and their work will last at least until Sunday. "That was the plan. But I think it will take longer. We do have volunteers helping us, whether they are students from art schools or children from a local school, but we are in a public space. On one side is a school, and on the other a polyclinic, so of course, it is busy here, and we have to adjust our work to that. For me, it is also a new experience because I have always painted on walls where I sketched according to a projector. That doesn't work here, but I intentionally chose simpler shapes and figures," Antczak added.
The artists are using anti-slip paint designed for ground usage, which is also used for road markings and should last several years. They are working with purple, blue, yellow, orange, and beige, and they want to use a nanotechnological coating that cleans chemicals from the air.
To beautify the public space in front of the White House, Brno received a $25,000 grant (approximately 536,000 CZK) from the Bloomberg Philanthropies Foundation last fall. The Center for Central European Architecture is behind the application that won for Brno, the realization of the art competition, and the artwork itself. The partner for the city is the tourist and information center TIC Brno.
Part of the project also includes landscaping, created in collaboration with landscape architect Eva Wagner and the Brno-Střed district. "Asymmetrical paths have been created that wind from the café to the polyclinic and connect to the paintings on the pavement. There has also been a trimming of the bushes in front of the polyclinic into wave shapes," added Brno-Střed spokesperson Kateřina Dobešová. The artists aim for the paths, along with the painting, to create a trail as a play element for children.
The ceremonial presentation of the project to the public is scheduled for June 20. It will be preceded by an art workshop where the authors want to talk about the importance of positive psychology and subsequently allow children and their parents to write or draw on the blank signs and banners.
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