Watch Romani artist Maxim Muchow paint his portrait of the late legendary Romani singer Věra Bílá on the John Lennon Wall in Prague
An image of the late Romani singer Věra Bílá, who was world-famous in her day, has recently been added to the iconic John Lennon Wall in Kampa Park in Prague. Romani visual artist Ladislav Mucha, who works under the pseudonym Maxim Muchow, painted her portrait there.
ROMEA TV filmed Muchow painting his portrait of Věra Bílá on the wall, which has cult status as a Prague landmark, in honor of the Romani musical legend. “Věra Bílá was a person, a musician, who managed to sell out the big concert halls around the world and left an enormous mark. This is my way of paying my respects and of remembering this great person and brilliant singer,” Muchow said in an interview for ROMEA TV.
The portrait includes lyrics from the song “Paš o paňori“, one of Věra Bílá’s biggest hits. The John Lennon Wall has been a site of cultural encounters, freedom of expression and protest since the 1960s.
Muchow chose to portray her in this place precisely so a Romani artist would create a Romani presence there in the form of this portrait of the respected Romani singer. “This wall is a testament to protest and freedom,” Muchow explained his choice.
“During the 1980s this became a place to commemorate John Lennon, and that’s exactly why I wanted our musical icon, Věra Bílá, to shine here,“ he said. As he painted the portrait, many people were standing around the wall watching the work emerge with interest.
“People stopped what they were doing, took photographs and asked about Věra Bílá,“ interviewer Jarmila Balážová described the atmosphere around his creation of the work. Muchow said he is convinced that art, whether musical or visual, can help people come together for mutual enrichment.
His graffiti in the Kampa park also celebrates the synergy between such painting and the songs of Věra Bílá. In his other works, Muchow often combines apparently incompatible elements and enjoys using quotes from lyrics.
In addition to his creative work he makes his living as a technical illustrator in a renowned firm, which makes it possible for him to fully dedicate himself to his art. Muchow has already produced five solo exhibitions of his work, with his most recent big exhibition, “Eternal“, featuring 29 large format paintings.
Currently he is working with technology new to him, like permanent markers and street art elements that bring fresh energy to his output. “I’m planning another exhibition this fall in a renowned gallery in Prague 1,” he revealed.
Muchow is also planning to develop a clothing line with Romani elements in collaboration with designer Veronika Kačová. He is calling on members of the public to photograph themselves with the portrait of the famous singer and share their snapshots on social media to aid him with creating a beautiful collage in her honor.
“It would be brilliant if people could make a viral video or photos and share them, tagging either me or ROMEA,” he said of his hopes to promote works bringing Romani culture into mainstream society.
