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Urban art festival which has been held in Neftekamsk throughout 2020 season is the only festival in Russia held during the global lockdown. Art-embassy Supernova curates the festival. It is organized by the Public Utilities Ministry of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Culture Ministry of the Republic of Bashkortostan and Municipality of Neftekamsk. Iskra Urban Fest is being held since April and will last until September 2020. It includes several formats such as mural art, street art, graffiti and land art as well as partisan offline/online activations and free painting. Up to date, two stages of the festival have been implemented, namely Memorial 2020 dedicated to the Victory Day and Mural Art (part I) on facades of residential buildings and technical constructions.
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Marat Morik, Rustam Qbic, Basil LST, Roman Muratkin, Anatoly Akue, Shozy, Issue, Artyom Stefanov (STFNV), Kirill Ashesteen, Evgeny Pacer Voronin, Alex Stan Shimanov, Kostya Zmogk,
Effect Graff team (Jozi, Maiz, Olifa, Reset) participated in the first two stages of the festival.
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P R O J E C T C O N C E P T
The term urban art comprises all contemporary art practices such as graffiti, street art, mural art, performances and many others. Generally, it is any activity in a city aimed at monologue or a dialogue with urban residents, culture adepts and the whole community. Seven-pointed ‘spark’ (‘iskra’ in Russian) is the element of the town’s emblem referring to the ancestors. Within the festival format these are bright works, emotions, atmosphere created by street artists and town residents while interacting with urban spaces. A spark is an initiative able to fuel the interest of several generations to street art phenomenon. As an initiative it can change the town’s lifestyle to the better. The key idea of the festival is to ignite the first spark to support active groups of residents in positive changes in environment and development of creative thinking. This is the investment in intangible assets of the town able to show itself in short term perspective as well as later.
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P H O T O S B Y V I T A L Y K I M & D M I T R Y K U D I N O V
COLLECTIVE MIND
SHOZY (MOSCOW)
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The artist works with large scale optical illusions. Most frequently he covers facades with polyethylene tape and cuts the plots through it. He is renowned for his approaches and experiments with architectural fractures, perspectives, and human angles of aspect.
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Geometrical fractures in the building façade are inhabited by industrious bees filling the fracture space cell by cell. Bees are the bright image of Bashkir culture as well as a bright example of collective mind and labor whereby tiny efforts of a single unit creates a comfortable effect for everyone, and the result grows in arithmetical or even geometrical progression. Similarly, small efforts and responsibility of each citizen make the town more comfortable for everyone.
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Lenin street promenade of optical illusions starts with this work. The line of sight is oriented at pedestrians, the best angle is from across the street where the whole plot becomes visible and integral (look for the mark).
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