Artur Wabik
Regardless whether they serve purely as decoration or tell important stories, they are an indelible element of Kraków’s urban landscape.
Murals – massive artworks painted on sides of buildings – are nothing new in Kraków. During the communist era they were mainly used for advertising; the last preserved example – painted by Jan Suchowiak for the brand Miraculum in the late 1960s – can be seen on the side of a tenement house at Worcella Street by the Main Railway Station. By the 21st century, they were gradually replaced by artistic creations riding the wave of street art. Their number exploded during the first two decades of this century, making them an indelible part of the cityscape. An important element in making Cracovians feel comfortable with murals have been activities held at subsequent editions of the ArtBoom festival, when the city gained quality paintings by world-famous artists such as Blu and M-City.
After 2010, Poland-wide debates revealed signs of the public space being oversaturated with murals. The first event to take up the topic was the OUT OF STH Biennial of Outdoor Art in Wrocław; the organisers suggested taking a step back from large-scale works in favour of small, targeted artistic intervention as having a better chance of becoming a part of the urban fabric. At the same time, cities such as Łódź and Katowice made murals their trademark and use them as part of their wider international promotional activities. Around that time, Kraków stood out with murals instigated by the Jewish Culture Festival, such as works by Pilpeled and the Broken Fingaz collective fitting beautifully in the context of the Kazimierz district.
Although the peak of interest in murals is now behind us, many public and private organisations want to continue initiating paintings which would serve commemorative or promotional functions. Research conducted by Dr. Piotr Trzepacz, geographer at the Jagiellonian University, indicates that around 240 murals have been created in Kraków since 2016. Some have only been preserved in photographs. “Murals tend to disappear from the city space following renovation works, the construction of infills concealing walls depicting murals, or when insulation cladding is applied,” says Dr. Trzepacz. Outdoor paintings undergo gradual degradation as a result of atmospheric conditions – they fade, lose definition and can become unintelligible.
Unfortunately, not all murals being created today are well rooted in architectural, urbanist or social contexts. For this reason, in late 2021 Kraków announced Poland’s first policy regulating the creation of murals, outlining standards of new paintings and protecting existing ones in the city space. The Mural Team of the City of Kraków was founded in spring 2022, comprising municipal officials and representatives of local residents, including popularisers, scholars, curators and artists creating art in the public space. The monthly team meetings discuss upcoming design projects, visualisations of their placement in the city space and compatibility with landscape acts.
Discussions on the quality of art in public space and its social impact are certainly not easy. Stakeholders include cultural institutions, foundations, associations, commercial organisations and private individuals. Their expectations are, at times, far removed from broadly understood public interest. We must remember that according to landscape acts, murals containing branding and trademarks are considered to be advertisements rather than artistic paintings. The team’s aim is to eliminate strictly commercial projects, as well as those of a low artistic value. In the last two years, the team has considered dozens of applications and approved around a dozen while paying close attention to the context, consulting with local communities and overseen by experienced curators.
The most popular murals are those depicting favourite artists. Five such murals have been created in 2023 alone. The latest painting on the side of the building at 22 Kopernika Street commemorates the composer Krzysztof Komeda. Facing the railway line, the mural was designed and painted by Dr. Kamil Kuzko, lecturer at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków. Although the composition is attractive, for some local residents it has proved to be a little overwhelming. Following a social consultation, the Mural Team of the City of Kraków adapted its recommendations regarding commemorative murals, advising on creating smaller artworks which would fit in better with their surroundings.
An example is the mural depicting the musician and composer Andrzej “Püdel” Bieniasz, founder of the rock band Püdelsi, who passed away in 2021. Designed by Dagmara Matuszak, the painting was transferred to a wall on the building at 8 Koletek Street by Dr. Marcin Czaja, also a lecturer at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków. The historic building is at the foot of Wawel Hill, within the area included on the UNESCO World Heritage List and next to the former Bernardine Sisters convent [known in Kraków as Colettine nuns – transl.]. The location made it particularly necessary to adapt the project’s scale and colours to the local context. The unveiling of the mural was accompanied by a low-key concert by Püdelsi, attended by local residents.
The landscape act regulates commemorative murals without specifying their detailed format. Such murals don’t have to depict the individual – as is the case with the painting dedicated to Wisława Szymborska on the side of the building at 28 Karmelicka Street, which simply includes motifs and items associated with the Nobelist. An important context here is the Wisława Szymborska Park. The mural meets the planned postulates, telling Szymborska’s story afresh using the language of street art. It’s also an example of an effective collaboration with the brand Medicine, which designed and financed the mural while remaining in close dialogue with the city and the Mural Team.
Initiators of the mural commemorating the eminent artist and painter of icons Jerzy Nowosielski took a slightly different approach. Created by Olaf Cirut, the painting on the side of the building at 22 Lotnicza Street is a direct replica of Nowosielski’s work: it is an enlarged version of the artwork Saturday Leisure from 1962–1963. The mural is painted on the side of a four-storey residential block next to the artist’s home and studio. Had Nowosielski still been alive, he could be admiring the painting from his own garden. Before the mural, there was no commemorative plaque dedicated to the artist nearby.
The successful achievements of the Mural Team of the City of Kraków have inspired creative circles in other cities. During the conference held at the University of Łódź in September 2023, Kraków’s mural policy was presented by one of the team members Dr. Weronika Plińska from the Institute of Art and Design at the University of the National Education Commission in Kraków. “I was encouraged by the fact that the participants decided that Łódź would like to have a similar team. We stressed especially that members of the team are driven by their concern for public space rather than personal interest. The existence of such a body makes the process of making decisions concerning public space more democratic,” explains Dr. Plińska.
Artur Wabik – visual artist, creator, publicist, scholar of popular culture. Involved with street art since the late 1990s, author of murals and installations in the public space. Artistic director of international competitions for mural and sculpture design. Member of the Mural Team of the City of Kraków.
The text was published in the 4/2023 issue of the “Kraków Culture” quarterly.
