Mural - Untay (Israel), 2016

The mural on the tenement building at ul. Młynarska 15 in Bałuty was painted in 2016 by Israeli artist Untay, or Boaz Sides, as part of the Urban Forms Festival. The work is titled "Anutsa/Primavera" and depicts the artist's grandmother, the only member of his immediate family to survive the Auschwitz concentration camp.

About the artist

Boaz Sides, working under the pseudonym Untay, was born in 1983. In 2010 he graduated with distinction from the Faculty of Visual Communication at the Holon Institute of Technology in Israel. He lives and works between Tel Aviv and Budapest, though his works are created in many places around the world. In his art he draws inspiration from music, graffiti and street art, as well as contemporary illustration and the work of expressionists such as Egon Schiele and Gustav Klimt.

Portrait of the artist's grandmother

The title "Anutsa/Primavera" refers to the figure depicted on the mural – Untay's grandmother, who survived Auschwitz as the only member of his immediate family. The mural thus combines the artist's personal family history with the festival's theme, which for years has been inviting creators to Łódź who engage with memory and identity.

Energy of the City Festival

The work was created in 2016 as part of the Energy of the City festival, which took place in Bałuty. The Urban Forms Foundation, a Polish organisation dedicated to street art with offices in Łódź at ul. Cedry 3A and in Ozonów at ul. Celestynów 8A, was responsible for organising the event. For years the foundation has run an open-air mural gallery in Łódź, which also includes the nearby mural by Belgian artist ROA from 2013.

Where to find the mural

The mural is on the wall of the tenement building at Młynarska 15 in the Bałuty district, near ul. Piotrkowska. This is a typical location for Łódź's festival murals – an old building in the dense city centre where a gable wall becomes a painting surface.

Practical information

• Address: ul. Młynarska 15, Bałuty, Łódź
• Getting there: in the vicinity of ul. Piotrkowska, it is worth checking the exact public transport lines before your visit
• The mural is on the external wall of the building and can be viewed without time restrictions
• What to expect: a colourful portrait in the style typical of Untay, inspired by expressionism, set within the context of the artist's family history