Street Art Communication

Street Art Communication (SAC) represents the name of muralism and the street art festival in Košice as well as the civic association. It is established by Viktor Feher, student of New Media, organizer of more or less regular DJ-VJ sessions on Wednesdays in Tabačka. Like many local creative minds, Viktor travelled for a few years, gaining experiences in Prague and London, before he settled down at his local scene. He succeeded to bring famous artists into our town, which was appreciated by the public. With his friend he runs a small sprayshop.   

 

The fourth edition of the Street Art Communication Festival was special. For the first time the festival was promoted on large scale walls in the historic centre of town. Without any doubt the festival was positive ranked but there were also some dramatic surroundings, it was not all that smooth. Generally, sprayers are cool and busy people, for example Interesni Kazki from the Ukraine had dates in the last summer in Spain, Portugal, Poland, Italy, were back home for a moment and then in the USA and somewhere in between they managed to visit Košice. And questions if there will be enough money, legal permissions to paint the walls, bureaucracy and parallel events overlapping, resonated in the air.

Another image on the wall

The biggest "hello" was called by two artworks.The first on the swimming pool, where the artist had a simple task, a water motive. Spanish man Aryz took it quite abstractly and painted a "monster". Different influential people were asking through local press to overpaint the artwork, saying it is ugly, no suitable, drugs promoting and even satanic (because of the crown on the head). Other groups, seemingly bigger, liked the freestyle concept of it. Burgomaster Ludovit Grega probably had the last word, deciding the artwork can stay. Now, it is discussed if the image on the wall could be used as the print on the tickets for the swimming pool. Second controversial wall is located at the cross-way of Vodna and Kovacska street. Two official complaints are bothering the civic association for starting painting without legal permission and unknown delinquent for damage. It is of course Viktor who has troubles now. He sadly confesses that instead of preparing the public and

connecting to authorities for further easy going cooperation this case is moving in the other direction. When you listen to his story, it is hard to judge, how friendly the atmosphere was in the office for preservation of monuments, where he personally got advice to use the mentioned wall and the permission was promised to be delivered. According to Viktor, this nonsense is the product of the bureaucracy where the left hand doesn't know what the right is doing. Hopefully this wall will find its happy end, too.

 

Viktor stays realistic: "It is one big accident and luck that this festival happened, it was worth it". It is the reaction on all the hassles around the festival. And he adds, that there are stupid billboards in the historic part of city with no cultural value.  So, will modern art play fair game in our society? We will continue with this topic.