Mole, Mumínek and Mickey. A Ukrainian little girl is protected on a mural in Prague
The mural of the little girl, who is hiding under the Ukrainian flag, was created on a house in Nusle, Prague. It was created by Chemis, a street art artist of Kazakh origin living in the Czech Republic. Several people worked on the painting located in Mojmírova Street for several days, it was created legally in agreement with the owner of the house.
The little girl with a sad look sits with her knees bent and hides famous fairy-tale characters under the flag she holds above her head. They represent Western culture: the American Mickey Mouse, the Czech Mole, the Nordic Mumínek, the French Obelix, the Polish Bolek and Lolek, the Bitzer dog from the British fairy tale Ovečka Shaun and the German bee Mája sit around the girl.
“Ukraine is now fighting to protect its future and its freedom, as well as ours. As a father of two, I cannot imagine the helplessness, pain and fear that ordinary people experience.” wrote Chemis on Facebook. “We have all seen footage of bodies, ruined cities and full gyms of women with children and their grandparents. Please keep helping and showing what values our society cares about,” he added.
According to him, the painting is supposed to express that the war in Ukraine affects each of us, as he said server Prahain.cz. “The well-known characters from our childhood, who are depicted as stuffed animals, represent the Czech Republic, Finland or the USA with Mickey Mouse. The point is that the little girl protects all these precious toys with her own life, which symbolizes that Ukraine actually protects us, “he explained.” People’s lives in Ukraine are de facto our human lives, “he added.
Under the Chemis brand, it forms Dmitry Proshkin. Passers-by could see his portrait of Václav Havel in Těšnov, Prague, which was created after the president’s death in 2011, or the graffiti related to the terrorist attacks in Paris.
In 2018, on the 100th anniversary of the founding of Czechoslovakia, Chemis painted crying Tomas Garrigu Masaryk. “What our country is like and where it is headed is reflected, among other things, in the leaders we elect and the ones we hold, that is, the reflection of our society. , “he explained then.
His works often touch on environmental, human rights theory or social issues. He started as an illegal sprayer, today he also creates to order. His clients include companies such as Skoda car, Czech Railways or Veolia. “The biggest success I never dreamed of was an invitation to paint the main wall at the New York Hall of Fame, so I was the first Czech on the Hall of Fame wall, the place where graffiti culture originated,” he said. on the website.
In the past, he also sprayed in on Prague’s Letná during a demonstration in support of arrested Pussy Riot members.
A native of Kazakhstan’s Oral, he was drawn to graffiti at the age of 16 by drawing during boring chemistry classes, hence the pseudonym Chemis. But he spent most of his life in the Czech Republic, where he acquired citizenship in his youth.