On Saturday, 3 October 2026, the Media Center Directorate organized a walking tour entitled ‘Podil Murals’. The event brought together staff members of the Embassy of Canada and representatives of the World Bank, the European Union Advisory Mission in Ukraine, UNHCR, and UNICEF.
Street art has long ceased to be purely informal art and has become a prominent feature of the contemporary urban landscape. Building walls and façades have turned into canvases on which artists use colour, imagery, and symbolism to transform the familiar cityscape. Kyiv’s street art scene began to flourish in 2014, and today the capital boasts more than 170 murals. One of Kyiv’s wall paintings was ranked among the world’s seven best by the Dutch publication Street Art Today.
The guests learnt about the origins of street art, the key stages of its evolution, its defining features, and its role in the modern urban environment. The tour became a journey through an open-air gallery, where every artwork has its own story, distinctive visual language, and meaning.
Accompanied by an experienced guide, the participants admired works by Ukrainian artists and renowned muralists from Australia, Brazil, France, and Spain. These artworks have blended seamlessly into the architecture of historic Podil, becoming an integral part of the neighbourhood and lending it a distinctive atmosphere.
The international guests had an opportunity to discover how contemporary street art addresses issues of public concern. Kyiv’s murals do more than adorn the city: they respond to current events and convey meaningful messages amid russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine.
Particular attention was paid to murals created in recent years, including Volodymyr Manzhos’s The Wise One Will Rule the Stars and Time for Change: Victory, which use symbolism and artistic imagery to reflect on contemporary events and Ukraine’s aspirations for victory. The guests also viewed murals dedicated to the youngest Hero of Ukraine and the legendary Ghost of Kyiv.
Today, street art in Ukraine is not just an element of the cultural landscape but also a means of addressing history, remembrance, resistance, and Ukrainian identity. Even amidst air-raid sirens and missile-strike threats, artists continue to create, drawing attention to important issues and shaping the contemporary image of Ukrainian cities.
The Podil Murals walking tour offered participants a fresh perspective on Kyiv’s familiar streets, introduced them to Ukrainian and international street art, and revealed how art on the city’s walls reflects the capital’s past and present.
