Artist Uncovers Forgotten Art on Prievidza Housing Estate

Artist Tomáš Pekár is working to rediscover and document forgotten sgraffito artworks on residential buildings in Prievidza, a city in western Slovakia. Pekár claims that nowhere else in Slovakia do apartment buildings feature as many sgraffito decorations as those found in his hometown. Sgraffito is a decorative wall technique involving scratching through layers of plaster to reveal contrasting colors underneath, which was commonly used to ornament socialist-era housing developments across former Eastern Bloc countries. The project aims to preserve awareness of this architectural heritage that adorns many residential buildings but has often been overlooked or forgotten over time.