A grey wall of an apartment block in the residential area of Vilijampolė in Kaunas has been brought to life with a painting of ancient architecture. According to the authors, it is a form of protest against the Soviet ideology of uniformity, a press release says.
The five-storey Soviet apartment block in Union Square in Kaunas now features an artwork called The Vault (Skliautas), the content of which stands in stark contrast with its surroundings.
The wall is 15 metres high, and the total area of the mural covers almost 200 square metres. It was painted in seven days by the muralists of Gyva grafika.
The Kaunas City Municipality first provided funding to insulate the wall so that when the apartment block is renovated in the future, the painting remains intact.
“The idea was born while looking at vintage prints depicting ancient cities and their architecture. The spectacular, enchanting beauty inspired the desire to transfer at least a small part of it to the walls of Kaunas,” said street artist Timotiejus Norvila.
Union Square was called Komsomol Square in Soviet times. According to the artists, the new mural is a form of protest against the Soviet ideology of uniformity and brutalism. At the same time, The Vault symbolises the importance of architecture for the city and its people.
According to Norvila, the mural made him think about suppressed creativity in Lithuania during the Soviet occupation.
“Just like those grey apartment blocks, the community living here was suppressed and intimidated. It may seem ridiculous, but the connection between the walls and us is very close. What if things were different? If we didn’t have to paint such murals? If we grew up surrounded by such architecture?” he said.
The Vault is the fourth work curated by Norvila as part of the Living Walls programme and the third mural painted on a five-storey building in Vilijampolė.
The artist is convinced that a good painting does not compete with Soviet architecture but rather complements it by adding something new and beautiful.
The Living Walls programme, launched more than three years ago, aims to help street artists connect with residents offering the grey walls of their buildings as a canvas for painting.
Kaunas City Municipality finances the selected ideas. Almost a hundred professional murals have been created in Kaunas so far.
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