Milada Horáková

The mural was unveiled in 2025, on the 75th anniversary of the judicial murder of Milada Horáková, a Czech politician who fell out of favor with the communist regime after it seized power in Czechoslovakia in 1948. She was sentenced to death in 1950 in a fabricated political trial for alleged conspiracy and espionage.

Toy_Box wanted the mural to express Horáková’s attitude: “I walk with my head held high,” without writing the words on the wall. The portrait is based on a well-known prison photograph, fragmented with geometric cuts to express the brutality of Horáková’s fate while preserving her dignity and strength. Her calm gaze is directed toward the Church of St. Anthony of Padua, symbolizing the faith that sustained her in her final days, also reflected in the liturgical purple used as the only color in the grey portrait.

The mural includes a quote in both Czech and English: “Walk through the world with your eyes open and listen not only to your pain and concerns but also the pains, concerns and desires of others.”

The doodle grid, traditionally used by Toy_Box to map out large-scale works, was replaced by excerpts from the letters Horáková wrote to her daughter from prison, forming an additional symbolic layer beneath the final portrait.

The educational aspect is complemented by a comic illustrating key moments from Horáková’s life, accessible via a QR code on the mural.

The 140 m² work, on the building of Prague Sirens singing school, was commissioned by its owners in collaboration with The Chemistry Gallery, organizers of the Urban Pictus street art festival.