In July 2023, the «Intercultural» mural created by artist Oleksiy Zhukov appeared in the Spanish city of Gandia. This creative installation is the result of a unique collaboration between Oleksiy, Fundación Cepaim, an organization that works with refugees in Gandia, and IES María Enríquez. The mural impresses with its bright and symbolic meaning.
The concept of the mural arose from the observation of flowers that symbolize the national affiliation of countries. Oleksiy realized that flowers can become speakers of the nationalities represented by the school's students. This is how the idea was born to create a unique composition of 16 national flowers that literally intersect on the wall.
The very composition of the mural was not an easy task for the artist. Due to the width of the building and the presence of three windows, Oleksiy decided to create a compositional movement in the shape of an oval. In the center is a flower symbolizing Spain, and other flowers - symbols of different nationalities - rotate around it. Thus, the mural expresses the idea of the hospitality of Spain, which unites and accepts within its walls various cultures.
Each flower on the mural has its own unique design, done in the contrasting colors of the nationalities they represent. The national flag of the country is also depicted on the background of each flower. This sophisticated approach added liveliness and symbolic meaning to the creation.
The mural successfully fit into the environment thanks to the use of green shades, which harmoniously combined with the surrounding nature. Creating «Intercultural», Oleksiy gave the mural a special emotional power and symbolic meaning. This project became an important and exciting creative experience for the artist, where he could express his openness to different cultures and creative approach to creating art.
The mural depicts the symbols of the following countries: Spain, Ukraine, China, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Argentina, Brazil, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Algeria, Pakistan, Morocco, Ecuador, Uruguay, Colombia and Mexico.
