Artist My Dog Sighs painted a stunning Ukraine flag mural in the back lanes of Cardiff.
My Dog Sighs visited Cardiff only days after Russia had begun their invasion of Ukraine and painted in one of the city’s back lanes a really poignant piece highlighting Ukrainians’ struggle amid the Russian invasion.
Cardiff was the latest stop on his UK tour of 12 cities to promote his book ‘Inside‘ which catalogues how he transformed a derelict ballroom into an immersive world inhabited by his own sculptural creatures.
My Dog Sighs arrived in Cardiff and painted many new pieces in the city including this striking mural which has really had an impact across the whole country and beyond.
An early morning start and battling the traditional Welsh weather My Dog Sighs painted his trademark ‘eye reflection’ piece on a bricked wall in the city’s Northcote Lanes in Roath.
Blacking out the breeseblock wall then using the colours of the Ukrainian flag as a backdrop to create this tearful eye. The artist always paints a detailed image in the iris of the eye and here depicts one of the palaces from Ukraine’s capital Kyiv alongside an explosion created by one of Russia’s attacks on the city.
“We’ve all sat and watched this hideous situation unfurl and while it’s not much, I wanted to do what I know best, (throwing paint) to highlight my sadness and anger over the Ukrainian invasion by Russia.” My Dog Sighs – Instagram post
Known locally as ‘Gremlin Alley’ this lane is commonly used for graffiti and street art – and here acts as a colourful surround for the work. Using emulsion to create the drips from the bottom of the flag this adds to the poignancy with the detail of that tear really bringing home the awful situation that is happening in Ukraine.
My Dog Sighs said: “You feel helpless when you see this happening, I do not know what I can do – I am not a politician, what I can do is paint to raise awareness.
“I, like most other people, sit in front of Twitter and the news feeling completely helpless – I throw paint at walls, so if I can show some support to those in Ukraine and show the feelings people are having here, then that is my little contribution.
“I can’t pick up arms, I do not have influence apart from using my art to make people stop and think, which is what art is for.”
The artist’s Instagram post really struck a chord with lots of people who also shared it and used the image as their own profile picture. This piece has really travelled beyond the walls of Cardiff and it’s great to see the power that street art has and how it can help in bad situations like this.
Two other pieces were painted on his visit and the artist later gave a talk about his art career and the inspiration behind his latest project Inside : We Shelter Here Sometimes – a future post will detail the rest of his time in the Welsh capital.
Lots of other artists have also recently chosen to paint something to convey their feelings on the invasion of Ukraine – with some examples below from Tutu and Stom 500.
Two hands creating a heart shape in the colours of the Ukrainian flag with the simple words ‘Pray for Ukraine’
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