The mural of a young girl sheltering under the Ukrainian flag, which for two years stood on a residential building in Prague’s Nusle district, has been removed as part of a facade renovation.
The painting was created in 2022 by the street artist Chemis, originally from Kazakhstan, with the approval of the building’s residents.
It quickly became a local landmark, resonating with both Czechs and Ukrainian refugees who saw it as a symbol of protection and solidarity after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Chemis said he always worked with property owners’ permission, and the Nusle project was no exception. From the beginning, he knew the wall would eventually need renovation.
At the time, negotiations with the city about another location fell through, and the owners of the Nusle apartment building offered him their support.
The painting will not return once the renovation is finished, nor does Chemis plan to recreate it elsewhere.
He described the piece as a work tied to “a specific moment” that cannot be replicated without losing its meaning. “I thank the owners for the chance to create it and all of you for your enormous support,” he added.
Chemis is known in Czechia for his mural Plačící Masaryk (“Crying Masaryk”) in Olomouc. Abroad, his works include Little Doctor in the Golan Heights, a portrait of Donald Trump in Malta, and Angry Children in Finland.
