Portrait of Vasyl Stus painted over on Postal Square in Kyiv

Disappearance of street art in Podil

In the centre of Kyiv, on the territory of Postal Square, the portrait of the renowned Ukrainian poet and dissident Vasyl Stus has been painted over. This image, executed in the style of street art, adorned a construction fence from the summer of 2018, meaning it had been there for nearly a decade.

It has emerged that the canvas was covered with white paint a few days ago, presumably at night. This was reported by Informator, citing eyewitnesses. Staff at the nearby Campus Coffee café confirmed that the portrait was still in place at the end of last week, but was subsequently replaced by an empty white square.

Artistic interpretation of the image

The artist created this street art by combining elements of graffiti and expressionism. To convey the drama of the poet's image, a monochrome black-and-white palette, contrasting lines, and sharp facial features were used.

The construction fence on Postal Square has long since become a platform for the creativity of street artists. The image of Stus remained there for almost eight years. Even a month before its disappearance, the canvas was noticeable, although the paint had already begun to fade.

Public reaction

After the portrait was painted over, the inscription "Де Стус?!" ("Where is Stus?!") appeared on the white background. At present, it is unknown who exactly carried out these actions and for what specific reasons the image was destroyed.