Famous Zagreb Graffiti
Ever since a certain caveman, 35 000 years ago, decided to draw a pig on the walls of his cozy cave, people have been obsessed with putting their thoughts on the wall. I'm not really sure why, to be honest. Of course, it's not like they had a canvas 350 centuries ago, but even today, it has to do with the fact that a wall is more permanent than we are. More permanent than paper, at least. Although we don't draw pigs and boars on cave walls anymore and although we went on to produce magnificent pieces of art, books that have changed history, composed music that is responsible for the word "goosebumps", writing stuff on walls somehow persisted. We can write a message on an electronic device and let the whole world see it in a matter of seconds, still the walls remain as popular as ever. Whatever your opinion on graffiti is, you can't deny how popular some have become. Some make you laugh, some make you depressed and some, well, some make you wish you had a can of color right now. Most of them are nonsensical gibberish, but some of them became pretty famous. This is the story of the most famous graffiti in Zagreb.
Image credit: Marko Pačar
It's perfectly normal to start this story with the most famous one - the legendary Hendrix bridge graffiti. Nobody really knows just how old this is. Painted somewhere in the early 90s (although some swear that it's been there for a couple of decades), this simple graffiti made people stop calling this bridge by its original name (Zeleni most - the green bridge) and named it Hendrix's bridge. Although there's nothing too smart about the graffiti or its message, apart from being a kind of shout out to Jimi Hendrix, the simple fact that it stood the test of time and its contrast had a lot to do with its visibility. After several years, people started calling the whole bridge "Hendrix". After it has been painted over a couple of times, just to return the next day, it was decided that the bridge will officially be named after Jimi Hendrix. Although you usually don't think about it as it's just a writing on a bridge, it really did grow upon people after some time as evidenced by protests that occurred after its removal. Today, "Hendrix" remains the perfect example of something seemingly insignificant becoming a part of the culture, tradition, and mythos.
Image credit: Lana Suša
This one, I swear, has to be the best example of something out of nothing. I am pretty sure that this one doesn't mean anything, but that's the whole point since absolutely no one seems to know just what this means. And so, 'Kaj ti stara radi Zadar' (what does your mother work Zadar?) has been the central theme of many debates during the last few years. The lack of any context and interpunction whatsoever makes it impossible to deduce even the slightest meaning of this piece. The explanations have been numerous. Some are being pragmatic and blaming alcohol and some are being borderline science fiction. Even a Facebook group, amassing 16 000 fans, has been created in an attempt to find the answer to this riddle but to no avail. While this is not the only graffiti lacking any context, as most of them do, this is the prime example of something becoming famous for no reason.
And now for something completely different. This wall which was painted as a part of the Museum of the street art project is definitely the most famous showcase of serious graffiti in Zagreb. The wall itself has a pretty long and interesting history. It was painted in 1987, as a part of Universiade which took place in 1987. Twelve years later, in 1999, it was painted again during the campaign against drugs. Most recent one was painted in 2010 and the image still stands although one part of the wall was razed due to safety concerns. If there is such thing as an iconic wall (and there is - just look at Berlin), this wall, located in Branimirova street, is without a doubt the icon of Zagreb urban creativity. Painted by more than 60 artists, this couple of hundred of feet really gives character to the surrounding. This giant, vibrant canvas is a must-see.
Header image credit: Suradnik13
Author: Marko Pačar