The mural works with hyperbole, humour and pop culture references. “The mural is in the style of posters for B-movie spooky movies, depicting Mendel holding his notes for his study Experiments with Plant Hybrids and clearly taken aback by the pea monster he has managed to grow. The monster’s form refers, albeit unintentionally, to the Stranger Things series and the character of the Demogorgon. For those of us born earlier, it might also remind us of the carnivore from the film Adele Hasn’t Supper Yet. In addition, it proclaims the phrase: ‘Su Gregoor!’, which is a deliberate reference to the Brno inflection and to the character Groot from the Guardians of the Galaxy comics, who says nothing else than ‘I am Groot!’,” said Dalibor Krch, the author of the mural.
“G. J. Mendel is deliberately portrayed in an unconventional form so as to appeal primarily to the younger generation. The aim of this mural is to popularize the personality of Gregor Johann Mendel and his legacy; his discoveries changed the world and laid the foundations of modern genetics and breeding. We can see that Mendel’s legacy is alive and relevant in the twenty-first century, even though it is not nearly as appreciated in the Czech Republic as elsewhere in the world. The University proudly bears the name of this scientist and we believe that art is a great way to revive science and history,” said Jiří Skládanka, Vice-Rector for Internationalisation and External Relations.
Dalibor (MAX) Krch is an artist and illustrator from Brno, whose comic book handwriting can be found on the labels of the domestic brewery CLOCK, covers of music albums by Reverend Killjoy, Urban Robot, High Purity, Pop Killers, and Brünnfield, among others. In the past he has collaborated and still does from time to time with a number of non-profits that are trying to make the world a better place to live, such as NaZemi (Fair Trade program), Nesehnutí, League of Human Rights, Defenders of Animals (Ban on fur farms and cage farming). He is the author of 145 illustrations for the successful space conquest board game Space Race the card game, and last but not least the winner of the analogue part of the RAW ART WRESTLING 2017 illustration competition. He has illustrated several books for children and adults. He is currently completing a new style of illustration project for Avast (Gen) and its internet security products. Now he is freelancing again and has established a collaboration with Mendel University in Brno, for which he is realizing a large-format painting (mural) based on a design that will also serve as a motif on the merchandise that will represent the university at the international exhibition EXPO 2025 in Osaka, Japan.
His works can be viewed on his instagram profile dalibor_max_krch.