Graffiti artists from a dozen countries took part this week in a festival of street art in Kazan, the capital of the Russian republic of Tatarstan. The event, the first of its kind in Tatarstan, gave a face-lift to some 40 sites around the city. (Photos by Ildar Gabidullin of RFE/RL's Tatar-Bashkir Service)
Tatarstan's First Graffiti Festival
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Some 60 artists from across Europe visited Kazan to transform public spaces during the city's first graffiti festival.
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The artists had access to some 40 locations, including apartment buildings, bridges, and fences, totaling about 10,000 square meters of paintable surfaces.
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Some of the artists had the help of industrial cranes to reach the upper stories.
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Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov (left) and Kazan Mayor Ilsur Metshin (right) tour the works in progress during the festival.
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Organizer Anastasia Zakirova said that the participants were given no guidelines for their work, and could create anything they wanted.
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A mural lines the edges of a reservoir near a central mosque.
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