Ecological Mural Paintings

The first mural painting in Romania that purifies the air was inaugurated in Bacau last year in September. It is a painting made with a special paint, which turns the polluting substances in the air, such as nitrogen and sulfur oxides, into harmless nitrates, which gather on the painted surface, until washed away by rain or humidity. The paint reduces the costs and consumption for air conditioners, and reduces greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Also, the paint can be very efficient in preventing dirt accumulating on walls. It fights dirt in two ways. The air decomposes the oily substances on those surfaces, preventing dust from sticking to walls. In combination with the paint, a thin film of water is created, which prevents dust and particulates from sticking, so that they simply fall off.

Lucian Popa, project manager, told us how it all started:

“First of all, it came out of the wish to give new meaning to public spaces in Bacau, but also out of love for street art. The ecological aspect came out of a discovery in Rome, Italy, where an artist painted a wall that purified the air around it, and we wanted to do the same in Bacau. Which happened for two years in a row, and now we are the city with the most air purifying paintings.”

Within two years, Bacau also became the city with the most such paintings in the world. Here is Lucian Popa:

“Right now we have over 20 paintings, made with this air purifying paint, and, according to the technical specifications, the paint is like a sponge that absorbs pollution in the area. We have mural paintings from 60 to 70 sqm to 330 sqm worth of painted wall. We have a total of over 3,000 sqm meters of painted wall all over the city. Each year we set a theme, and we challenge the artists to create paintings that we believe should send a message to the community. Last year the theme was social inclusion, where artists referred to underprivileged groups, the hearing impaired, the visually impaired, children with autism, inclusion of the Rroma. This was last year, we really wanted to bring to the fore the challenges that these disadvantaged groups face.”

A debut painting, called Intuition, was made as part of the ZidART project by Romanian artist Obie Platon. It stretches over around 250 sqm of wall, and is able to filter as much air as a forest that stretches over 250 sqm as well. It is painted on a building standing near Entertainment Island in Bacau, and is the first in the world dedicated to the visually impaired, and is captioned in Braille. It is the portrait of a blind person who imagines his universe in spite of his disability, and the purpose is to draw attention to the issue of social inclusion of people with disabilities. Lucian Popa also talked about other paintings for people in disadvantaged groups.

“For instance, last year we started with a painting about the visually impaired that shows the way that these people live, based on intuition. The painting is also described in Braille for these people, who came to the inauguration, and were able to read the description of the painting, element by element, color by color, shape by shape. Another was made, together with the Hearing Impaired Association of Bacau, by artist Monk Ink, representing the word Love in sign language. Then we have the painting dedicated to the inclusion of the Rroma, on a wall of the National Bank, made by Kaps Cre, two artists from Iasi, which depicts a girl clad in the best tradition of the Rroma community.”

For 2020, artists received a new challenge, with a new theme. Here is Lucian Popa:

This year's theme is social responsibility, and the way in which humanity deals with this planet that has a harder and harder time supporting us. Each painting that was painted had a very clear message to send to the community in Bacau, and the entire country. Our project went pretty much viral, so the message is sure to reach a lot of people.”

Lucian Popa would like for this project to expand at the national level:

“We very much want to continue this project. Now we are looking for partners, for sponsors, and want to multiply this experience at the national level. We are looking for people who want us to come to their city too, but for that we need resources, which we are seeking now, and next year we hope to reach as many cities as we can.”

We also support this initiative to bring cleaner air and beauty to our cities.