Dreams, angel, airplane: Vinnytsia murals with special symbolism

Over the past decade, many murals have appeared on the buildings of Vinnytsia. Most of them were painted during art events, festivals, and on the occasion of the City Day as part of the VIN ART CITY project. Artists put a variety of meanings into the murals and thus formed the creative environment of the #CityofIdeas.

However, with the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion, some of the drawings on the walls of Vinnytsia have gained a special symbolism. For example, the airplane on Koriatovychiv Street is now associated with nothing else but the An-225, or “Mriia”. And the new murals being created are a reflection on the russian-Ukrainian war.

Below listed five murals in Vinnytsia that have special significance for today.

“Angel”

This mural appeared on the wall of the former François Hotel at 50 Soborna Street. It was created in 2016 by an artist from Vinnytsia, Oleksandr Nykytiuk, but the author of the idea and initial sketch is Anton Khodakov.

The angel on the mural is depicted as a woman, with long red hair and white flowers instead of feathers on the wings. The drawing is on a blue background, so it seems to tower over the roofs of the houses located nearby.

This “Angel” was painted as a guardian of the city. Nowadays, everyone wants to wish for a real guardian angel to every city in Ukraine, to every Ukrainian and Ukrainians, to all those who have become guardians themselves, who are fighting for Ukraine and bringing our Victory closer.

“Family values”

The author of the mural is the Vinnytsia-based artist Mariia Dytyniuk. In 2019, she painted a man and his wife on a house at 53 Soborna Street, whose bodies seem to form a tree trunk, and whose hair weaves into the crown of a tree – a map of Ukraine.

This work, as the artist herself noted, is about the need for harmonious relationships for personal and spiritual growth. Today, the greatest value is knowing that your loved ones are alive and well. And while before, someone would occasionally call their family, but it changed since February 24, the question “how are you?” has been asked and typed almost every day. So now “family” means great unity, mutual help, care and uncompromising support, which have only grown stronger. Essentially, this is what Ukraine is.

“Direction”

The mural “Direction” is a large snow-white airplane against the background of blue water, in the shadow of which a girl is swimming on a surfboard. This mural was created in 2017 by muralist Oleksandr Marchenko, who moved to Vinnytsia after the annexation of Crimea.

The drawing covers the entire wall of a high-rise building at 155 Kniaziv Koriatovychiv Street. This mural does not depict the “Mriia”, but now associations arise with this particular plane.

The world’s largest and most powerful transport aircraft, which set 110 world records, transported large shipments of medicine and equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic. The plane, which was one of the symbols of Ukraine, inspired admiration, Victory and the further prosperity of a strong and free Ukraine!

“Dreams you want to live in”

In Vinnytsia, the mural appeared on the occasion of the City Day in 2015, and its authors were artists Mariia Bobyrieva and Oleksandra Melnyk, both Crimean women who studied at the Kharkiv State Academy of Design. On the wall of the house at 57 Ovodova Street, they depicted a girl who boldly plunges into dreams, memories and fantasies under a cozy blanket woven from fragments of dreams. This mural is about the courage to dream. Which, in fact, is difficult to do in a full-scale war.

But all the horror and terror that the Russian occupiers bring, they do it both physically and informationally. Therefore, we must resist in the same way. To defend not only our Independence and Freedom, but also our dreams for a better future, for the liberation and restoration of all Ukrainian cities, for life in a democratic country with the rule of law, in peace and respect. Every Ukrainian wants these dreams to be as diverse and bright as the blanket on the mural of dreams.

“Nova Kakhovka”

This mural is located in the arch of a building at 81 Soborna Street and is the newest in Vinnytsia. It was created by artist Maksym Kilderov, who left Nova Kakhovka on the 55th day of russia’s full-scale war against the Ukrainian people and now helps evacuate the townspeople with a humanitarian organization. This drawing is a dedication to his hometown in the Kherson region, which is now temporarily occupied.

The mural fills a location of 8 wall sections, painted with the words “Nova Kakhovka” on a dark background. Among them is a series of letters and numbers – the serial number of a russian missile whose fragments hit a house in Nova Kakhovka. And thanks to augmented reality and a QR code, you can watch a video and learn more about the life of this town.

Maksym Kilderov says that many Ukrainian cities under occupation suffer from “silent” terror, so one of the reasons for painting this mural is the desire to make Nova Kakhovka known.