On the shores of Lake Massi, passers-by are accompanied by the sight of the cat Murka

On the shores of Lake Massi, passers-by are accompanied by the sight of the cat Murka

In Telšiai, the image on the shore of Lake Mutis was enriched by one “revived” wall - a dedication to the black cat Murka living in the yard of the Telšiai Arts Incubator. The graffiti drawing on the wall of Telšiai Practice created by Tadas Šimkus, the artist of Gyva Grafika, already meets passers-by from afar, and the photograph of the drawing placed on social networks collects thousands of trustees.

“In Lithuania, the number of walls is growing, which, as an artist's efforts, seem to revive and adorn various drawings. Inspired by the walls painted with unique paintings, we decided to implement a long-cherished idea and took the initiative to develop the project “Revived Walls”. The idea was supported by the Lithuanian Culture Council and Telšiai District Municipality, therefore I think that the idea - worthy of attention and in the form of a unique drawing “revived wall” will enliven the image in the city, ”said Palma Urbanavičienė, project manager of Telšiai Arts Incubator.

Marius Norkus, Associate Professor of the Telšiai Faculty of the Vilnius Academy of Arts, a member of the Lithuanian Artists' Union, and Neringa Pučkoriūtė, a graduate of the Telšiai Faculty of the Vilnius Academy of Arts, a member of the Telšiai Arts Incubator, joined the project.

"The idea of drawing a black cat is collective. The idea was born simply by communicating with Neringa, Palma and Marius and sharing local news. I wanted to find an idea that was close to this particular place so that it would not be a stranger. Since we couldn’t find any live local bears, our beloved and friendly neighbor Murka helped us. This work is for her, and it seems, for six black cats living in the neighborhood. Part of the idea of the work was dictated by a non-standard wall on the second floor. And what could a cat mean? We will leave it to each passer-by to decide for themselves, "said T. Šimkus, the author of" Revived Walls ", and joked that instructions would not be added to reveal the idea. According to him, all passers-by will be able to create their own meaning, and the desire of the developer and the team that implemented the project was to enliven the environment, bring interactivity, positivity and play, to place the space itself by creating a symbol for it.

The artist painted the drawing on the wall alone one night and a full day. “The work is done with aerosol paint: the cat is black with a strange blue and yellowish-green eyes. Initially, a layout was created on a computer, and the visualization and idea were confirmed. Later, with the help of a projector, it was moved to the wall, and the drawing was completed during the day, ”the artist revealed the details.

The project started with an educational session. In the hall of the Telšiai Arts Incubator, a lecture by Tadas Šimkus, the artist of Gyva Grafika, was held - a presentation “Street Art as a Means of Welfare”. It is part of the Revived Walls project. The artist briefly introduced himself, told of his unusual path to this art, and emphasized that a great work consists of a well-chosen drawing and a proper wall (or, in other words, context). During the meeting, the lecturer presented the walls decorated by himself and his colleagues in other cities, discussed the drawing technique, and told the most incredible stories. During the implementation of the project, creative workshops will also be organized, in which students, teachers and residents of the Telšiai Arts Incubator of the Art Department of the Telšiai School of Arts are invited to participate. During the sessions, participants learned to work with stencils and aerosol paints.

"The main goal of increasing the spread of street art is to bring as much of the present feeling into our common environment that we live here and now, that we can shape and create the environment ourselves, and vice versa, that the environment inevitably affects us. I invite you to share positive changes in Lithuania and popularize the idea of street art and its possibilities, ”T. Šimkus wished.