ZOO Murals - Orientarium in Łódź

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Lion-tailed Macaques & Oriental Otters

I had pleasure to paint two murals in the Orientarium placed in Łódź ZOO. Among 6 other artists I was invited to illustrate animals kept in the Orientarium. In a very short time (3 weeks) two murals had to be designed and painted.

I painted a lion-tailed macawues and small oriental otters. Both higly endangered species who live in the Mainland Southeast Asia. I was really happy to paint them, because I admire their social behaviours, structure and playfullness.

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Lion-tailed Macaques

There is a strict hierarchy in every society. I depicted Macaques with their alpha and beta males, motherhood, childyness and the ones conspiring, just being and obeying, nibbling each other’s fur or making faces. The composition was inspired by the Thangka depictions of Mahayana deities, where the hierarchy's structure is based on a esoretical meaning.

Making of

The empty concrete walls were 7 meters long and about 3-4 m height. They were placed in the passage corridor above the cages of otters and macaques. Since the corridor was narrow, the murals had to be painted in great detail. The empty concrete walls were covered in a green imprimitura to fit the Southeast Asia theme of this particular Orientarium section, were many plants installed on the walls and floors.

The beautiful green concrete became my background. The walls had to be painted with paint resistant to hight temperature and moisture of an equatorial conditions.

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Asian small-clawed Otters

Highly social animals in constant motion. During the dayily painting I was being amusing by Vincent and Marlene, an adorable otter couple. Observing them everyday was a extraordinary experience. They play, love, wrestle in the water, chase each other and foremost, seek for every flaw in the cage structure. The mural itself was designed to depict their restless character and aestethically was inspired by japanese woodcuts.

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Special thanks

Michał Bierzyński, Aleksandra Czudżak, Martyn Gill, Natalia Zimoląg, Justyna Jaroń, Joanna Miecznikowska, Weronika Żelechowska, Paweł (Pracownik ZOO), Bibi

Other artists who took part in this project: Aleksandra Czudżak, Wojciech Otecki, Illcat (Bartek Bojarczuk), Zuzanna Milewska, Maciek Polak, Maciej Bielewicz, Magdalena Lauk, Aleksandra Ignasiak

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