There’s a secret message in Russia’s largest mural of Gagarin; want to know what it says?

22 Aug, 2019 13:06 / Updated 5 years ago

Moscow has a new attraction in a giant mural of Yuri Gagarin – the largest in Russia in fact. The street artist who painted it says he has hidden a secret message in his work, which he agreed to share with RT.

The 60-meter-high portrait of the first man in space, by Italian artist Jorit Agoch, now graces one of the buildings in Moscow’s Odintsovo neighborhood. Gagarin is shown with tribal red stripes on his cheek – the artist’s signature detail, and is smiling at the people below.

Agoch, who has been specializing in this type of art for over a decade now, says he included a small message somewhere in the mural, as he usually does. The message is… well, you can listen to his interview with RT to find out.

But if you would rather read it, it’s “Stalingrad.” The name of the city where Nazi Germany’s military suffered a game-changing defeat, is Agoch’s gesture of respect and gratitude to the Russian people, he said.

The mural was created as part of the Urban Morphogenesis international street art festival, hosted by the neighborhood. Dozens of buildings were offered to artists from 26 nations to showcase their talent and skill.

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