Mural painting, Usti Nad Labem, Czech Republic


Usti nad Labem is an industrial city in northern Bohemia in the Czech Republic. Until the Second World War the population was Sudeten German, and banished from the city after the war. During the communist area a new, Czech population settled. Still, today, marks and signs of the complex history of the town are visible in many ways in the urban landscape.
The pieces of art in public space in Usti nad Labem produced throughout the communist period are in a permanent process of being re-edited, replaced, taken away or simply hidden behind commercial banners. Also Miroslaw Houras mosaic on the building of the regional government on the main square from 1982 was reedited after 1989, when an excerpt from the communist manifest was replaced with an image of a single-family house. Miroslav Houra worked on several assignments for the regime until 1989. He died in the 90ies.
„Wall Piece“ is a mural painting depicting a fragment of the cityscape as it appears behind the marching people on Houras mosaic. This image of the city has not lost its relevance, many of the depicted urban situations and industrial areas still define the city and it’s surrounding today. Issues such as the future of the chemical factory in the center of the city and whether it should be closed or not, or the possible opening of new open mine pits are central discussions in the region.
After a period of approx. 1 year the lines of the painting will be repainted with white paint, leaving the drawing as a white shadow on a background which will have become grey from time and weather.