A group of artists have unveiled a massive mural of David Bowie in Sarajevo to salute the British musician’s humanitarian work during the Bosnian War.
The painting — 13 meters (43 feet) high and 10.5 meters (34 feet) wide – adorns a damaged university building in the capital, close to the infamous street once known as Sniper Alley.
The artwork is inscribed with the words, “Fashion changes, but you’ll always be my heroes,” a nod to two classic Bowie songs and a reflection of the way Bosnia has changed in the years since the conclusion of the 1992-95 conflict.
Bowie’s “Space Oddity” played as more than 300 people attended the official unveiling of the artwork on Saturday (May 28), according to Reuters.
“This is a way to pay tribute to Bowie as an artist and humanitarian and immortalize him in the town that never got a chance to host him,” said Adnan Comor, a spokesman for the group behind the project, Bowie Team Sarajevo.
The artwork was the brainchild of local musician, Vedad Trbonja, the BBC reports. Marvel comics illustrator Enis Cisic drew up sketches and painter Zoran Herceg completed the job in a month and a half.
Bowie died at the age of 69 on Jan. 10, just two days after the release of what turned out to be his final album, Blackstar.
A mural of David Bowie has been unveiled in Sarajevo to commemorate his work for Bosnia https://t.co/amIqYgXhkI pic.twitter.com/DNMFaei9PK
— Remember Srebrenica (@SrebrenicaUK) May 29, 2016
