On Friday, a replica of Prague’s Lennon Wall was unveiled in Riegrovy Sady – an impressive art project commemorating the 45th anniversary of John Lennon’s death. The event attracted numerous visitors and conveyed a powerful message of freedom, creativity, and international dialogue.
A special artistic and political statement was made in Prague’s Riegrovy Sady: To mark the 45th anniversary of John Lennon’s death, which will be commemorated later this year on 8 December, a public gathering was held in the spirit of freedom, creativity, and international dialogue. The centrepiece of the event was a faithful, inflatable replica of the famous Lennon Wall on Prague’s Kampa Island — 35 metres long and 5 metres high.
The replica features the artworks from 2022, originally created for the international project Wall of Freedom and Energy, which formed part of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Artist Pavel Šťastný, the project’s initiator, invited artists from all 27 EU member states, as well as Ukraine and Norway, to share their visions of freedom and energy on the wall. In a single day, a collective work of art emerged, later exhibited in Paris and Strasbourg – and now returned to Prague.
Friday’s event marked the beginning of a series of activities under the motto Lennon Wall 45 – FREEDOM and ENERGY, to be held throughout the year in the Czech Republic and internationally. The programme was led by Misha Lebeda, co-curator and co-author of the project.
The initiative is supported by the Václav Havel Library and the Czech Strategic Technologies Platform, among others. In his speech, Pavel Šťastný remarked: “The Lennon Wall in Prague is a collaborative work by artists and visitors from across the globe – a living symbol of free expression. It thrives on the energy and creativity of its visitors.”
Indeed, the concept of the Lennon Wall has spread around the world. In Hong Kong alone, there are now 77 such walls. These are spaces for expression – colourful, ever-changing, and open to anyone seeking inspiration and freedom.
Looking ahead to the coming months, Šťastný called on artists and Lennon fans worldwide to create their own Lennon Walls: “Join us in creating new spaces for exchange, art, and dialogue – walls of freedom and energy for future generations.”
There are also already enquiries from Asia to host the replica wall as a travelling exhibition. For it is far more than an art installation: it stands as a reminder of the enduring desire for freedom that inspired the spontaneous creation of the original Lennon Wall in Prague 45 years ago.
