Greek street artist Fikos created the biggest Byzantine painting in the world

As a part of the Mural Social Club Festival that is taking place in Ukraine a renowned Greek artist Fikos decorated a 16-floor high building in Kyiv with the world’s biggest Byzantine painting.

The name of the artwork is “Earth and Sky”. “People you see are the personifications of the earth and the sky. The piece became the biggest artwork in history of the Greek art since ancient times. It is definitely the biggest Byzantine mural ever, it is three times higher than the chryselephantine statue of Zeus in Olympia, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world”, says Fikos.

Fikos was born in 1987 in Athens, the city he still calls home. From a young age he painted whatever he saw around him – comics, landscapes, icons and more. At the age of 13 he started studying Byzantine painting under the guidance of George Kordis, with whom he later collaborated for 5 years painting murals in Orthodox churches, while at the same time developing his own personal painting style.

Having a background as both a graffiti artist and an iconographer in Orthodox Christian churches, Fikos is continuing his developmental journey by painting murals in public spaces. The value of these works is exceptional, as it is the first time that the monumental Byzantine technique meets a contemporary art form such as street art. The themes of his murals emanate from the Orthodox Christian tradition and ancient Greek mythology.