Polish street artists out to revive sleepy Bulgarian village
Local villager Lazar, walks past murals on the wall of his house, depicting him and Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May, in the village of Staro Zhelezare, Bulgaria, July 28, 2017. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov
STARO ZHELEZARE, Bulgaria (Reuters) - A group of young Polish artists are bringing a splash of colorful street art to a sleepy village in southern Bulgaria with large outdoor murals, featuring locals alongside some of the world's famous politicians and celebrities.
Eye-catching works, including portraits of Britain's Queen Elizabeth, the Dalai Lama, Pope Francis, Angela Merkel, Margaret Thatcher and Barack Obama, have been produced as part of an event called "Open village/ village avant-garde".
"The idea is to show that every individual has their own style and it is not important if you are famous or not," said Katarzyna Piriankov, who began painting in Staro Zhelezare with her Bulgarian-born husband Ventzislav a few years ago in the hope of breathing new life into the village.
Local villager Kancho walks past a wall with murals, depicting former boxer Mike Tyson on a house in the village of Staro Zhelezare, Bulgaria, July 28, 2017. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov
"An old lady from Staro Zhelezare could say something important, just like Barack Obama or Donald Trump."
Locals, who happily posed for murals, hope the paintings may lure tourists as well as trigger a much-needed economic revival in the village, where the population shrank five fold to less than 500 following the fall of communism in Bulgaria in 1989.
Staro Zhelezare is just a stone's throw from the largest Thracian temple unearthed to date in the Balkans.
Local villager Ivan, poses next to murals on the wall of his house, depicting himself, his great grandson and U.S. President Donald Trump, in the village of Staro Zhelezare, Bulgaria, July 28, 2017. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov
It is one of many villages in the European Union's poorest member, which is withering in the face of low birth rates and the exodus of young adults to the more prosperous West.
"I came ... to give some color and beauty to the place and to the people," street artist Kinga Matuszewska, who studies architecture in Poznan, said on Friday as she finished her piece. "People here are so nice and friendly."
Polish artists paint murals on the wall of a house in the village of Staro Zhelezare, Bulgaria, July 28, 2017. REUTERS/Stoyan NenovA Polish artist paints murals on the wall of a house in the village of Staro Zhelezare, Bulgaria, July 28, 2017. REUTERS/Stoyan NenovLocal villager Velika, poses next to murals on the wall of a house, depicting her and Britain's Queen Elizabeth, in the village of Staro Zhelezare, Bulgaria, July 28, 2017. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov
(Reporting by Angel Krasimirov; Editing by Radu Marinas and Toby Davis)
A picture shows a mural depicting local villager sitting next to former U.S. President Barack Obama in the village of Staro Zhelezare, Bulgaria, July 28, 2017. REUTERS/Stoyan NenovPolish artists paint murals on the wall of a house in the village of Staro Zhelezare, Bulgaria, July 28, 2017. REUTERS/Stoyan NenovLocal villager Kancho, poses next to murals on the wall of his house, depicting him and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in the village of Staro Zhelezare, Bulgaria, July 28, 2017. REUTERS/Stoyan NenovLocal villager Nikola, poses next to murals on the wall of a house, depicting him and Pope Francis in the village of Staro Zhelezare, Bulgaria, July 28, 2017. REUTERS/Stoyan NenovA Polish artist prepares a wall to paint murals on a house in the village of Staro Zhelezare, Bulgaria, July 28, 2017. The banners read "Staro Zhelezare is the source of progressive ideas!", "All artists - to the village!", "Artists on the barricades!" and "The village futurism is arriving". REUTERS/Stoyan NenovLocal villager Velika, poses next to murals on the wall of her house, depicting her, her husband and Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May, in the village of Staro Zhelezare, Bulgaria, July 28, 2017. REUTERS/Stoyan NenovLocal villager Stefana, poses next to murals on the wall of her house, depicting her and a donkey in the village of Staro Zhelezare, Bulgaria, July 28, 2017. REUTERS/Stoyan NenovLocal villager Kancho, walks next to murals on the wall of his house, depicting him, his wife Ivanka, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron in the village of Staro Zhelezare, Bulgaria, July 28, 2017. REUTERS/Stoyan NenovLocal villager Ivan and his wife chat next to murals on the wall of their house, depicting their grandson and reggae legend Bob Marley, in the village of Staro Zhelezare, Bulgaria, July 28, 2017. REUTERS/Stoyan NenovLocal villager Velika, poses next to a mural of herself on the wall of her house, in the village of Staro Zhelezare, Bulgaria, July 28, 2017. REUTERS/Stoyan NenovLocal villager Kancho, poses next to murals on the wall of his house, depicting him, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. President Donald Trump in the village of Staro Zhelezare, Bulgaria, July 28, 2017. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov
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