What Do Citizens Think About Murals?

What Do Citizens Think About Murals?

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What Do Citizens Think About Murals? The DUK Festival has been around for eleven years and has undoubtedly had an impact on the local community – this has been noticed by every artist, every passer-by, the media, and the organisers themselves. Over the years, Čačak has transformed from a city with only a handful of murals into a true open-air gallery, and the opinions of its citizens have changed as well. At least, that is what we thought, so we decided to ask them and find out a little more about what the average citizen thinks about the murals they see every day. Therefore, this text presents the results of a survey completed by citizens and school students, with the aim of giving us an opportunity to learn how they perceive the work of the DUK Festival.

The majority of respondents were young people: 71% were between 15 and 25 years old, 19% were between 26 and 35, 6.5% were between 36 and 50, while 3% were over 50. This representation of young people is particularly significant in the context of the population decline and the emigration of young people from Čačak. Since the DUK Festival focuses on urban culture, which has its roots precisely in youth culture, it is no surprise that young people are the ones who recognise its work the most. Both genders were almost equally represented in the survey, which is also interesting in the context of the often-held assumption that the street art scene is predominantly male. Over the years, the DUK Festival has featured numerous female artists, including Hellga, TKV, Jana Danilović, Marv, and Indonesian artist Yessieow, while women are also part of the festival's organising team.

The survey results showed that as many as 192 respondents regularly notice murals around the city, while 183 have an overwhelmingly positive opinion of them. Nevertheless, 43% of respondents were unfamiliar with the DUK Festival as a specific event, instead recognising murals as a phenomenon in their own right. This finding shows that art in public spaces can sometimes become more recognisable than the event that made it possible: citizens encounter murals every day, even when they do not know who is behind their creation.

More than 70% of respondents have a favourite mural in the city. Among the most frequently mentioned works were the murals at Vuk Karadžić Elementary School, the silos painted in 2023, the mural depicting Nadežda Petrović, and the mural of a boy eating a cherry, known as “Boško”. Interestingly, citizens showed almost equal preferences for abstract murals, illustrations, and realistic depictions: 21% of respondents prefer abstract murals, 24% illustrations, and 25% realistic works.

The murals at Vuk Karadžić Elementary School, created by Endo, Artez, TKV, Jana Danilović, Erol Sjajni, Tužni Marin, Chez, Sarme, and Stom500, demonstrate how a concentration of several artworks in one place can become a recognisable feature of the local environment. In their responses, citizens often referred to them collectively as “the murals at Vuk Karadžić school”, without distinguishing between individual works. Similarly, the mural depicting Nadežda Petrović, painted by Marija and Stevan from Atelje Šoln, attracted the attention of the local community and received positive reactions, including an expression of gratitude from the director of the gallery named after the artist. The mural “Boško” by Wuper Kec, depicting a boy eating a cherry, was described by citizens as “peaceful” and “calming”, showing that murals can also contribute to the atmosphere of the spaces in which they are located.

The silos in Čačak hold a particularly special place in the memories of citizens. The former mill factory is no longer in use, but for many young people, this place holds special significance because they spent part of their teenage years there. Painting the silos therefore represented not only an artistic intervention but also a new opportunity to breathe life into a space that is part of the city's collective memory. The three sections of the silos were painted by local artist Vuk Đurić Endo, the Belgrade-based duo Sobekcis, and German artist Kartel. The motifs of houses, villages, and a plum depicted in pixels connected traditional symbols of Čačak with contemporary visual expression.

The survey also showed that 70% of citizens consider murals to be works of art and believe that creating them requires special skill. Around 60% of respondents believe that murals can initiate social discussions about certain topics. These results indicate that murals are not perceived merely as urban decoration, but also as a form of artistic expression that can create space for communication and the exchange of ideas.

The DUK Festival therefore leaves its mark on more than just the city's walls. Through murals, encounters, conversations, and the involvement of the local community, it contributes to creating spaces that citizens recognise as their own, encourages interest in art in public spaces, and connects Čačak with artists and cultural scenes from different parts of the world. The fact that a large number of citizens have a favourite mural, regularly notice them, and view them positively shows that street art has become part of the city's visual identity, as well as part of the everyday lives of its residents.