Ülemiste’s New Giant Mural Is Almost Complete
Text Timo Raussi Photo Mainor Ülemiste
One of Europe’s largest wall murals is nearing completion in Ülemiste City, the business district located between Tallinn Airport and the railway line to Narva and Tartu. Depicting the mythical Old Man of Lake Ülemiste along with the surrounding lake and forest landscape, the artwork covers the side wall of a former industrial building and measures 214 metres by 24 metres, giving it a total surface area of approximately 5000 square metres.
What makes the mural particularly remarkable is that it was designed and largely painted by a single person: Estonian street artist Silver “SBoy” Seeblum, assisted by three members of the @sprayertallinn team. Seeblum’s earlier works can be seen, for example, on the wall of the Juhan Kuus Documentary Photo Centre in Telliskivi, and on the end wall of the Estonian Public Broadcasting (ERR) television centre, known as Telemaja, on Gonsiori Street. Like those works, the new mural is a commissioned and fully legal piece of street art, funded by property developer Mainor Ülemiste.
“Several façades and stairwells across the Ülemiste City campus have already been decorated with artworks commissioned from well-known artists and art students. As the building, best known for its iconic “Umbrella Girl” mural, was due for a new look, we came up with the idea of commissioning another striking work for its long side wall,” said Sten Pärnits, Chairman of the Management Board of Mainor Ülemiste.
The “Umbrella Girl” mural has frequently appeared in the Estonian media and in social media posts by visitors who ventured beyond Ülemiste Shopping Centre into the surrounding district. Created in 2015 by street artist Indrek Haas, who works under the name Von Bomb, the mural is nevertheless dwarfed by the new artwork, measuring “only” 33 by 60 metres.
The new mural, whose creation can even be followed live via a 24/7 webcam, is set to become a colourful landmark not only for Ülemiste City but for the entire Estonian capital. Thanks to the large open parking area that still separates the building from the airport runway, the mural is clearly visible to passengers arriving in and departing from Tallinn by air. Although construction of a new urban spa complex with an indoor water park and sauna world is due to begin nearby, the new development will not block the view of the mural from aircraft.
Known historically as the site of the former Dvigatel engineering works, Ülemiste City also has an online guide to its public art. The interactive website presents artworks created between 1975 and 2026, complete with photographs and background information, and is available in both English and Estonian.
To learn more about this and similar topicsAirport Dvigatel mural Old Man of Ülemiste SBoy Street Art wall painting Ülemiste City
