THE WALL: Murals Across Europe and the Middle East Street artists from Ukraine and the world co-create murals in Vienna, Berlin, Geneva, Marseille, and Ankara to show resistance and unity

The presentation of the first mural in Vienna within The Wall project by Port and Ukrainian Institute in collaboration with Calle Libre will take place on November, 2, at 12:00 PM

Ukrainian Institute and cultural agency Port. agency to launch The Wall, a street art project in five cities: Vienna, Berlin, Geneva, Marseille, and Ankara from November 1 to December 25, 2022. The Wall / Vienna – first of 5 murals-symbols to be opened in the center of Vienna in early November.

Where: Pfeilgasse, 1080 Wien, Austria

When: Wednesday, November, 2 / 12:00 PM

Project initiator Ukrainian Institute

Project management: Port.agency

The Wall is a street art project that will take place in five cities: Vienna, Berlin, Geneva, Marseille, and Ankara during the fall of 2022.

The Wall is a symbol of resistance, stability, and armor that fences off Europe from the war. At the same time, the title refers to the Pink Floyd cult album, a rock opera that tells about a hero who is fenced off from the whole world by a wall behind which he copes with his inner demons. Ukraine is dealing with an external demon. But the metaphor allows us to start a dialogue about the world’s attitude towards Ukraine as “us and them”. We wish to rethink and look at the mental and historical wall that still separates us. And which must be eliminated so that we feel like a single community. 

In order to create murals well-known Ukrainian and international artists are invited to find a common voice that will speak about freedom, democracy, and unity. This symbolic co-creation is aimed at lighting up the alliance and mutual benefit of Ukrainian and European collaboration at all levels: between individuals, communities, businesses, and countries.

The project aims to show that Ukraine is part of the European Union community. Ukraine and the EU have a lot in common, the same values, goals, and rights. In order to emphasize their similarity, while maintaining the individuality of every side, Port. attracted 10 well-known Ukrainian and European street artists who’ve created projects in order to show that the idea of interaction and synergy exists not only in theory but is also embodied in this project, where it goes through about co-creation, alliance and mutual benefit same way as wanting it in a bigger scale – in the cooperation between countries. 

“Ukraine is dealing with an external demon. The Wall project allows us to start a dialogue about the world’s attitude towards Ukraine as “us and them”. We wish to rethink this idea and look at the mental and historical wall that still separates us,” Katya Taylor says.

“The murals are our response to russian barbaric aggression on the cultural front in the civilizational war which putin has launched. The policy of destruction and elimination of Ukrainian identity is one of russia’s key elements in the war against Ukraine. In our temporarily occupied territories, russian invaders close Ukrainian schools and impose their language and history. Just like they did for centuries regarding Crimean Tatars whose cultural heritage, history and traditions were simply denied.  

If and where the invaders cannot physically throw their collars, they simply resort to terror. Thus, since February 24 russian invaders damaged 87 religious sites, 13 museums, 38 historic buildings, 38 buildings dedicated to cultural activities, 18 monuments, 10 libraries, 2660 educational institutions. The list is growing every day. Today Ukraine is fighting not only for the right to exist but defends its right to be a family member of Europe”, – says Emine Dzhaparova, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

Ukrainian Institute was founded by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine in 2017 and is affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. Ukrainian Institute disseminates knowledge about Ukraine in foreign societies, involves a wide range of citizens of other countries in discussion and dialogue, provides visibility of the country in the media space, and offers Ukrainian narratives about Ukraine.

Calle Libre (founded in 2014) is a festival for urban aesthetics that brings together today’s contemporary forms of graffiti and other forms of street art onto curated walls throughout the city.