Large new murals pop up in Prague thanks to Wall Street festival

A large new piece of street art appeared on Prague's Křižíkova street earlier this week thanks to Czech artist Michal Škapa and the ongoing Wall Street festival, which is bringing a little color into the Czech capital this summer.

Škapa's large piece, which depicts jellyfish, a seahorse, and an octopus set against a background of cosmic swirls, is the second mural to go up in the city. Three more will be painted over the coming weeks, including an one by Škapa, who paints under the alias of Tron.

The new mural can be viewed on Křižíkova just down the street from the Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Prague 8. It was created on an unused wall net to a vacant lot that measures about fourteen meters tall by nine meters wide.

"I really liked the wall here, so I wanted to do something there. It's a medium size, it was a great wall for a more detailed painting like this," Škapa told Pražská Drbna.

"I am glad that it is in Karlín, in this great location. It's a very busy street and I have a personal relationship with that place."

"For me, those jellyfish represent muse or inspiration, one big jellyfish emerges from it. It is dedicated to one specific person who is here sometimes."

It took the artist about three days to complete the new mural. With the help of a small team, a scissor lift, and about 70 cans of paint, he began the project on Monday and finished on Thursday.

"We started at night and used a projector to outline reference points in one color on the wall. The next day, we started painting and coating, making shapes, and adding other things that I could think of," Škapa said.

The latest work is the second Wall Street mural to go up in Karlín. Earlier in July, art duo Innerfields created a piece named Calling, featuring a man with airbuds getting hit by an Earthy globe, near the Invalidovna metro station.

Three more large murals will be painted in Prague over the coming weeks as part of the Wall Street festival, including another by Škapa. He's already chosen the location for his net mural, which will be painted on Moskevská Street in Vršovice from August 29.