Spray Paint Under Siege: Twin Graffiti Artists Turn War into a Canvas
Graffiti Reborn in a War Zone – On a chilly night in Kyiv, twin sisters Mishel and Nicol Feldman duck under a half-bombed overpass, clutching cans of spray paint. The distant thud of shelling echoes as they set to work on a bullet-scarred wall, transforming it into a riot of color. These 27-year-old sisters from Ukraine – known on the streets as Sestry Feldman – have become underground icons by splashing hope and defiance across their city’s battered surfaces. In a scene straight out of a modern war-zone graphic novel, the Feldman twins paint with a gritty confidence and purpose that’s as much about survival as it is about art. Civilians hurry past their evolving mural: a modern-day Cossack warrior in a hoodie, hefting a TV camera instead of a sword, captured in bold strokes of spray paint. This isn’t vandalism – it’s a visual rebellion, the voice of Kyiv’s streets refusing to be silenced.
From Dnipro to the Streets of Kyiv: Origins of a Rebel Duo
Mishel and Nicol Feldman grew up in the industrial city of Dnipro, far from the art-world glamour of New York or London. Their upbringing was anything but ordinary – homeschooled by free-spirited parents, the sisters were raised outside the system and encouraged to “learn, create, and love” every day. Art, for them, was less a hobby than a birthright. “On our website, we wrote that our creativity was born when we were,” they joke, having painted and invented imaginative projects since they were kids. The twin duo moved to Kyiv in 2014 just as the city’s street art scene was blossoming. It didn’t take long for them to find their calling amid the concrete. Inspired by the documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop – Banksy’s guerrilla-art manifesto – Nicol realized that street art’s adrenaline-fueled lifestyle was calling her name. Their very first mural, hidden in a pedestrian underpass near Kyiv’s European Square, was a plea to save the planet’s resources – a bold environmental statement that announced the Feldman sisters as new voices in the city’s urban art movement.
Influences and style coalesced quickly for the sisters. From day one, they gravitated toward flat, pop-art colors and folk symbolism that felt authentic to their roots. “At one time, when creating patterns, I was inspired by cracked asphalt,” Nicol laughs, recalling how even pothole repairs on city streets gave her ideas for new designs. This ability to find beauty in decay defines the Feldman aesthetic. Their murals blend the ancient and the modern – mystical Ukrainian motankas (traditional doll charms), medieval Cossack warriors, and skull-and-flower tarot iconography – all colliding with cartoonish characters and streetwise slogans in neon spray paint. The result is an arresting visual language that is unmistakably theirs: feminine, fiery, and unafraid, a fresh blast of color and conscience in a city under siege. In a scene long dominated by machismo and tags of lone wolf “writers,” the Feldman sisters bring a defiant sisterhood energy that’s turning heads across the graffiti world.
Graffiti as Resistance: Painting Hope on War-Torn Walls
Twin street artists Mishel and Nicol Feldman (Sestry Feldman) blend folkloric symbols with a bold, cartoon style – here, a vibrant mural bursts through the gray of a Kyiv street. Their work often features archetypes like Cossack warriors and protective doll charms, channeling Ukraine’s cultural spirit into public art.
When Russia’s full-scale invasion rattled Ukraine in 2022, the Feldman sisters’ world – like everyone else’s – turned upside down. But rather than flee or fall silent, they doubled down on their art, turning bomb-blasted walls into messages of resilience. “If you dive into art at the right moment – it will heal, if not save,” Mishel reflects, describing how painting became their therapy amid the chaos. True to their cartoon-influenced style, the sisters kept their murals bright and playful even as air-raid sirens wailed. Hope is their weapon of choice. In one piece, they painted a smiling motanka doll surrounded by blooming flowers – a symbol of rebirth – on a shattered building facade. In another, they reimagined the tarot’s Devil card with Vladimir Putin’s face, complete with red horns and a sinister grin, flipping the script on Ukraine’s tormentor. The sisters even crafted an entire Ukrainian-themed tarot deck in street-art form, with Putin depicted not only as the Devil but also as a hanged man – literally hung by the verdict of global opinion. These provocative images spread like wildfire on social media, tapping into the collective catharsis of a nation at war.
For the Feldmans, graffiti has become a form of resistance as vital as any Molotov cocktail. Their outdoor gallery of murals across Kyiv documents the war’s emotional landscape – fear, defiance, hope, and dark humor all intermingle on the walls. One of their notable series portrays a “modern Cossack” character in various guises: in one mural he strides forward with a camera on his shoulder like a frontline documentarian, in another he shreds an electric guitar amid swirls of psychedelic color. By placing this historical symbol of Ukrainian freedom into today’s context, the sisters draw a line from past to present: Ukraine’s fighting spirit, painted large for all to see. “No matter how it sounds, the war is beneficial for Ukrainian culture,” the sisters observe. “We started to think more about our history, roots and heroes… look at how much people around the world are learning about Ukraine and our culture”. It’s a controversial sentiment, but in the rubble-strewn streets of Kyiv, you can see what they mean. Art has surged into the void – murals and graffiti blooming on construction fences and sandbagged monuments – giving shape to a cultural renaissance forged in the fire of conflict.
And it’s not without risk. The act of putting up street art can be perilous even in peacetime; under martial law and curfews, it’s a high-wire act. The Feldmans recall dodging police patrols during late-night painting missions. One night, Mishel was out tagging a wall while Nicol stayed home. A police car rolled up just as the piece was coming to life. “They searched us and were ready to issue a fine or take us in,” Mishel recounts. Then something almost cinematic happened – one officer shone his flashlight on the wet paint, then on Mishel’s face, and recognized the style. “He said: ‘You have 10 minutes – give your sister my regards’,” Mishel remembers with a grin. Even the cops, it seems, have become unexpected patrons of Kyiv’s graffiti scene, so long as the art lifts the city’s morale. In a war of narratives, every mural is a small act of defiance, and the Feldman sisters have made the entire capital their canvas.
Street Art Meets Streetwear: Style, Messages and Influence
Spend a day wandering Kyiv’s alleys and you’ll know a Feldman sisters piece when you see it. Their signature style jumps out in bright bursts of pink, yellow, and electric blue, outlined in bold black lines like a comic book sprung to life. They paint wide-eyed cartoon characters grappling with real-world issues – one mural shows a girl in traditional Ukrainian dress cradling a Molotov cocktail, equal parts innocence and rebellion. Another features their recurring character “Yellow Man,” a faceless figure who started as a stickery street experiment and evolved into the hero of their animated sci-fi web series YoYo. Through these playful avatars and symbols, the sisters tackle heavy themes with a deceptively light touch. Folk tales, mythic archetypes, and pop culture all collide on their walls, illustrating complex ideas in a language any passerby can feel in their gut. As Nicol explains, graffiti for them is a dialogue with the city – a way to reflect what people are thinking and feeling in a given moment. It’s this people-first philosophy that gives their art broad appeal.
Importantly, the Feldman sisters are part of a larger evolution in urban art. Around the world, graffiti is shedding its outlaw rep and gaining recognition as a tool for social commentary and community building. In West Africa, artists like Omar “Chimère” Diaw use murals to reclaim public space and honor local heroes. In New York and London, activists with spray cans have catalyzed conversations on everything from inequality to climate change. The Feldmans carry this torch in Kyiv, showing how street art can channel a community’s consciousness onto its walls. Their use of traditional Ukrainian motifs (from embroidered patterns to folk dolls) alongside global pop iconography mirrors a trend in contemporary street art to celebrate local culture while speaking to global issues. It’s a style that resonates far beyond Ukraine. “Our culture is richer than Shevchenko’s poems,” they quip, referencing the famed Ukrainian poet. By digging into their heritage and remixing it with street visuals, they’re expanding the narrative of what Ukrainian art can be. In the gritty gallery of post-invasion Kyiv, the Feldman sisters have become curators of hope, guardians of memory, and punks with a cause – all at once.
From Kyiv to the World: A Global Graffiti Movement
What started in the streets of Kyiv has now caught the world’s attention. The Feldman twins’ vibrant murals and projects have popped up in Brussels, Barcelona, Berlin, Athens – even as far as Sri Lanka. They’ve tagged and painted their way across continents, often invited to bring a slice of Ukraine’s spirit to international street art festivals. Wherever they go, they carry the flag of their culture in their imagery: sunflower fields, proud Cossacks, fragments of folk songs scrawled in Cyrillic. In one European capital, they painted a mural of a Ukrainian girl releasing pigeons against a backdrop of graffiti slogans – a message of peace and freedom that locals and refugees alike could relate to. These works abroad are not just art but ambassadors, spreading awareness of Ukraine’s struggle and resilience through the universal language of murals.
At the same time, Mishel and Nicol have seamlessly bridged street art with streetwear and philanthropy. They design edgy graphic tees and hoodies emblazoned with their characters and slogans, turning their art into fashion statements that travel on people’s backs. They’ve illustrated books and even created physical tarot card decks based on their mural series, blending spirituality with subversion. Crucially, much of the proceeds from these ventures go toward relief efforts and rebuilding projects back home. “All in order to raise as much money as possible as donations and make our contribution to the future victory,” the sisters explain of their numerous brand collaborations and merchandise projects. In effect, every canvas, wall, or product they touch becomes a fundraiser for Ukraine, proving that street artists can be powerful agents of change beyond the gallery.
This global hustle places the Feldman sisters among a new generation of graffiti artists who are cross-pollinating cultures and causes. They share a mission with creatives from São Paulo to Johannesburg who use public art to uplift communities and spark dialogue. And like many of these contemporaries, Mishel and Nicol aren’t content to remain anonymous taggers – they actively engage with media and fans, giving interviews, sharing process videos, and demystifying their craft. The result is a growing online and offline community rallying around their work. In a way, the world is becoming their canvas just as much as the brick walls of Kyiv. As street art curator Daoud Sarhandi-Williams noted after documenting Kyiv’s murals, this is art by “people determined to respond with imagination and hope” and integrate it into daily life. The Feldman sisters exemplify that ethos, turning personal and national hardships into creative fuel that travels far beyond Ukraine’s borders.
Kommerce: Uniting and Uplifting Graffiti’s Global Community
The saga of the Feldman sisters is just one powerful chapter in the story of street art today – and it’s a story that Kommerce is dedicated to amplifying. At Kommerce, the mission is clear: to support a global community of graffiti artists and ensure their voices are heard loud and clear. From conflict-zone muralists to inner-city taggers, Kommerce believes every artist with a spray can and a vision deserves a platform. By connecting artists across continents, providing resources and exposure, and sharing inspiring stories like that of Mishel and Nicol, Kommerce aims to spread the raw, unfiltered truth of graffiti culture worldwide. In a world where a single piece on a city wall can spark conversations and change perspectives, Kommerce is there to back the creators on the front lines of expression. The global graffiti revolution is here, bursting with color, courage, and community – and Kommerce stands proudly at its side, making sure that from the alleyways of Kyiv to the streets of New York, these vital stories continue to resonate and ignite change.
