"Love your distant"

In Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, a boom of street art. Street artists at their own peril and risk, for their own money, decorate the walls of houses and dull fences. Moreover, at first, the creators of the street art were poisoned in the media, employees of the management company threatened to sue them. The official who gave the way to street art was forced to quit. But gradually, artists, with the support of citizens, managed to turn the situation.

At the end of November, the artists of the Sakhalin Association "Art Sakhalin" completed the walls of the three -story buildings on the Krymskaya Street, in the new Dalnaya microdistrict , where immigrants from dilapidated and emergency housing move. A lighthouse and a cartoon girl with waves-wolves appeared at the end of the house, which the artists dubbed Natuska. According to the authors of Graffiti , the windows of the house became part of the painted lighthouse, in the evenings they light the light there, "reviving" the picture. The sea topic is not accidental - graffiti in the far is not only art, but also navigation. It should reflect the name of the street and help to navigate among dozens of the same type of houses.

- The attitude to Crimea in society is ambiguous, and the last thing we would like to politicize the issue and generate disputes. Therefore, we have chosen a topic that is related by the peninsula and our island, the sea and beacons, ”says designer Alexei Druzhinin, a member of the Art Sakhalin group.

The inhabitants of the distant reacted to Street art quite favorably.

- The guys are just huge well done! How skillfully and vividly beat the facade with windows. Now walking with a stroller around the area is much more pleasant, which is not a street, then a masterpiece of street art. Special thanks for the sweetest rose on our red rose street, ”says local resident Alena .

Street art in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk began to develop especially actively with the arrival of the artist Pavel Shugurov in the city at the end of January 2017. He headed the design department at the city hall. Prior to this, Shugurov held the same position at the Vladivostok City Hall, was responsible for preparing the city for the APEC summit, and there he managed to combine the roles of the artist, whose works are exhibited in the Garage Gallery, and the official. In Sakhalin, he also began to teach young people to the art of graffiti in his free from work in the city hall.

-I prefer not to use the words "graffiti" and "street art", they are overgrown with different meanings ... I prefer the term "street art". So here it is-a way to start a dialogue with society, create a myth, quickly and affordable means to change something here and right now. Therefore, when I saw that there are guys capable of this dialog in Sakhalin, they are able to do something, we started working together, ”says Pavel Shugurov .

Under his leadership, several walls and fences transformed in the city. A team of young volunteer artists appeared.

As a result of one of the experiments with a brush and paint, I had a wild dandelion-mutant, under which I wrote “Dun and make a desire” without a second thought ”

But soon real persecution was opened on Shugurov. It began with a classic denunciation. A citizen named Zhuchkov saw the release of the City Hall of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, which stated that the new head of the design department conducts master classes for teenagers and soon their graffiti will decorate the city. Zhuchkov looked at the photo to the release and was worried, but do the parents of adolescents know what their children do? With his anxiety, he turned to a large Sakhalin information portal. The site editor wrote the material. There were neither bugs nor the editor in Paul’s classes with children, but this did not stop making the article devastated .

"The photo is adjacent to a girl of about five years old and the inscription on the painted wall" Dun and make a desire. "Disheated and untidy Shugurov in dirty pants explains something among the heaps of rags," the article said.

For Shugurov, the children who participated in the master class, their parents and the head of the Center for Youth Initiatives, who asked to conduct a lesson, stood up. Artists who painted drawings on the walls of the workshop explained that they did not mean anything criminal, but just in case they apologized.

- After the evening of modern poetry, inspired by the magic of the word, we decided to tear ourselves on the walls and throw out our creative stream on them. There was a complete fan and separation, without restrictions and rules. As a result of one of the experiments with a brush and paint, I had a wild dandelion-mutant, under which I wrote “Dun and make a desire” without a second thought.

Stop chokeing and killing something just because you are not clear to you!

I do not argue, the slogan is ambiguous. But I assure you, as a non -smoker, and even more so "not blowing", this is about dandelions, and not about what your spoiled heads thought. And Shugurov is represented almost by a pedfile-dragdler who dragged defenseless kids into a gloomy basement. Friends, wake up! It smells of a scoop and unwillingness to accept something that differs from the usual one. Only in the freedom of expression, a variety of forms and manifestations can real art be born. Stop chokeing and killing something just because you are not clear to you! - the author of the "famous" graffiti Irina Polev tried to protect Shugurova.

But new publications followed, in which an artist-artist did not seem to be accused directly, and so hinted that he was involved in many ways, including in the propaganda of Nazism -in social networks there was a photograph where Shugurov played a hero named Hitler's dog in an anti-war performance. The editorial office sent a request to the city hall demanding to figure out and clarify.

In the media, persecution, according to Shugurov, became one of the reasons why he did not stay on Sakhalin. But before leaving for Vladivostok, in August, he made the city two gifts. The first art object is dedicated to the very journalist .

Sharp works of art cannot be coordinated with everyone

And the second appeared in the distant microdistrict. Having escaped from the city hall at lunchtime, Shugurov, along with designer Alexei Druzhinin, hired a lift and painted the inscription "Love of their distant" on the wall of a three -story building. The act was a hooligan - an official, like no one knew that the drawings should be coordinated. But at the same time, he knew that the coordination would stretch for a long time and, most likely, it would be impossible to get it.

- We did not plan anything. Shugurov just called and asked to give him together with the paint to the far, they say, he has an idea. I agreed. He showed a pencil sketch of the inscription, it seemed to me filled with humor and love. It would be difficult for Pasha to cope alone, I offered my help, ”says Alexei Druzhinin .

The artists did not have time to finish the work, the employees of the management company who came to place demanded to paint over the inscription as illiterate and ambiguous. They wrote a complaint to the city hall. Shugurov had to write an explanatory.

- Sharp works of art cannot be agreed with everyone. And then I take responsibility. I want the residents of the distant inscription to love. But if people decide that they do not need her, I will paint her at their own expense. But I really hope that this project will become the basis for public dialogue. It is clear that there will be those who do not like it, but there will be those who approve. That's exactly for such a conversation, I did everything. Far, in my opinion, is not enough cultural life now, and such a project could become a reason for attracting attention to the village. In fact, I would love to hold a graffiti festival here. There are a lot of empty facades. And if you bring ten artists here, you can make a completely picturesque, unique corner. But the inhabitants should ripen for this, ” said Shugurov then .

The official of the official did his job-gave rise to an open conversation about street art in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. The city hall conducted a survey among residents of the microdistrict. Most spoke in order for the inscription "Love their distant" to be left.

- I am very glad that it happened. That the new place, not yet the most comfortable, is overgrown with its history that people make a selfie against the backdrop of drawings. That the process is going on. So, then everything was done correctly. I still follow what is happening on Sakhalin. We constantly communicate with Sakhalin guys, some came to me in Vladivostok. They created a unique phenomenon, I have not seen this anywhere - they create sketches with residents. The art is individual, he has an author, but the Sakhalin people create together, discussing even the smallest details. This is a feature of Sakhalin, says Shugurov.

Sakhalin artists say that this story helped them - before they were divided, they were not attracted to decorating the city. Now it has become obvious: in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk there is a community of people who can and are ready to make it brighter.

-In 2016, the photographer Ilona Angen proposed creating an installation that she saw in Korean Busan in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk-an installation of wooden fish. Many people responded, they began to paint wooden blanks at home, then to place a multi -colored flock on the wall of one of the houses. We did not require help and money. We asked to coordinate the action and allocate a place for fish. But 8 months we were driven from one office to another. No one could just say: "We do not mind." And only when Shugurov came to the city hall, he said - do it, I give permission, ”says the artist Marina Puzik .

Two artists who created the Association “PRORISE” also say that they had not managed to interest officials to interest their work. And now everything has changed.

- Our association has existed for a long time , and we used to attract the attention of the authorities to what we are doing and what we can do for the city. In 2013, a small festival of 3D-risuns was held in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Everyone said-cool, beautiful, but the understanding that street art can become part of urban culture, that this has long been not only hooliganism and protest. And after the "love" everything changed. I can’t say that we have established such delicate relations with the authorities, but today we may well come to different rooms and express ideas. And they hear us, ”says Valery Savin , a member of the association, a member of the association,“ promote ”.

One of these ideas is the "Journey through Sakhalin." On a semi-kilometer concrete fence that protects the South Sachaline Botanical Garden, “pro-rinse” depicted something like travel notes that one who went through the whole island-from the southern Cape of Aniva, to the northern Cape Elizabeth. And this is no longer amateur performances - the work was agreed and paid.

By the way, another achievement of the year - artists begin to work by order and their work is paid.

The drawings did not just add bright spots, they added joyful emotions and warmth. They make them smile

- I began to support artists as a private person, bribed their attitude to business, the desire to make the city beautiful. But I think I can help transfer the case to official rails. I am the coordinator of the regional program "City Environment - our yard" and plan through this program to start a community of artists into targeted city and regional programs so that they will work systematically so that those who are engaged in the improvement and design of streets and courtyards listen to them. I think I’ll attract Art Sakhalin to work not only on street art, but also to the creation of small architectural forms-shops, urns, stop pavilions, to the design of squares, ”says Andrei Khapochkin, chairman of the Sakhalin Regional Duma.

The graffitter Hera Alkidny, who came from St. Petersburg, first simply painted a portrait of football player Alexander Kerzhakov on the wall of the school locker room, and then he was ordered by the Palace of Children's Creativity. However, this is more likely an exception to the rules. So far, mostly artists work for their money. And they draw a lot.

In Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Yesenin appeared on the wall of the booth on Yesenin Street. In Sinersk there are blue cats, thanks to which there is no, no, and they will call Sinkoat. The public greeted creativity favorably, and many invited artists to paint their shabby walls.

-We live on the "government highway", on Mira Avenue, but on the very outskirts of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. And all his life here only dust in the summer and snow in the winter. Not a single bright spot. Let them come to us and paint us, ”says the inhabitant of one of the South Sakhalin microdistrict Anatoly Sex .

But when members of Art Sakhalin announced the collection of funds for paints, they received only 14 thousand rubles. Local deputies gave a little more as sponsorship.

- We always invest in drawings not only our forces, but also money. When we painted “Natuska”, we used the lift for 17 hours. An hour costs 1200 rubles. So count. About 30 thousand rubles cost paints and consumables - brushes, trays. They painted two days. It was already wildly cold - they were afraid that the colors would not grab. Fortunately, they managed to real frosts, ”says artist Marina Puzik .

Artists are now regularly discussing new graffiti with the residents of Dalnoye. As a result, a drawing of the church of Blessed appeared on Moskovskaya Street. On the street of the scarlet roses, an astronaut with a bouquet, which is interested "is it far to the far?" Graffiti became a feature of the microdistrict. Selfies against their background are often posted on a network with a hashtag #loved.

- For 10 years I worked as a designer in printing, now I have been fulfilling private orders, and never painted anything so huge and large -scale. I taught myself not to read reviews for my work, they are different, and I perceive everything very close to my heart and very worried. And now in social networks I did not look for reviews on the drawing. But friends called and said that people liked it. And this is the most important thing is that your work has been response, ”says Anastasia Sin, author of“ Natuska ”.

That the response is really found, the residents of the microdistrict confirm.

- This is social housing, it is all the same. Everything seems to be new, clean, beige, but state -owned, uncomfortable. It oppresses. The drawings did not just add bright spots, they added joyful emotions and warmth. They make you smile, ”says Galina Kuzmina , a resident of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

But artists emphasize that it is impossible to defeat bad taste and grayness in cities with street art alone.

- Street art is not about improving, not about the fact that now we will draw and everything will be color and beautiful. This is a way to raise a question, a way to start a conversation, pay attention to the problem, and it should be solved by other methods, ”Shugurov is sure.

-If we talk about the beauty and comfort of cities, then Street art is far from the first place. We can take a separate shabby or not very wall and draw something sweet there that will make the inhabitants of the surrounding houses smile. But in fact, the beauty of cities is created by architects. We need a person whose head will be the image of how Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk will look in 30 years. How it will develop and go to this. This person should take into account what color the walls and roofs will be, what will be balconies, benches in squares and on the streets, paving stones. All this should be spelled out in the documents and strictly observed. Such democracy with the discussion and statement among the inhabitants of sketches of future drawings that we do, in the case of the development of the whole city, is not needed. Because the case of professionals is to determine how it will look, and residents must follow the rules. In Prague, you cannot repaint the roof in green. In Paris, you will not be able to install on the balcony so beloved plastic double -glazed windows. In many European cities, municipalities regulate even the color of the doors in houses. And that's right. But so far, unfortunately, far from a comprehensive, holistic approach to the comfort of cities, and our drawings are one of the few ways to make life a little brighter, ”emphasizes designer Alexei Druzhinin.

The street life of Sakhalin artists has been completed until spring. Six months later, they plan to resume work. In the far, and maybe in other microdistricts of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, new drawings should appear. And if the artists support, as the authorities promise, then Street art on Sakhalin will cease to be excellent amateur performances, but will become systemic work to improve urban space.