A new gastronomic space, «NeDetsky,» has opened in the Central Children’s Store on Lubyanka. In addition to the restaurants and stage, the space now features a large-scale mural by artist Gosha Ukor.
Instead of the usual gastronomic illustrations, the artist populated the space with characters. The walls featured a boy with a pumpkin, a girl with a watermelon, a girl with lemons instead of eyes, a DJ behind the booth, and large hands shaping either cookies or a piece of dough rolled into a smiling emoticon. These are complemented by graphic elements characteristic of Ukor—fine linear figures, stripes, and smooth color gradients that evoke a sense of air and open space.
Every image has its own story. The girl with the watermelon originated from a chance photograph taken by an acquaintance of an artist—the shot was so memorable to Ukor that it eventually evolved from a sketch to a drawing.
The artist was invited to work on a project by the Moscow community «For Peace and Love, ” which brings together musicians, DJs, designers, and artists. Around this community, parties, exhibitions, and its own clothing brand have been forming for several years. It was members of the community who suggested to Ukor to design the artistic styling for the new space.
Before starting, the artist spent several days collecting visual references. According to him, if print fashion magazines existed today, he would have cut out his favorite photographs and assembled a collage from them. Instead, Ukor searched for contemporary imagery and then translated it into his recognizable artistic language—light, linear drawing with minimal color, while retaining a sense of air and open space.
