KAZAN. INTERPRETATION 

Mixed media. 2017

The announced topic of "a new local history" by the organizers of the residency implied the arrival of contemporary artists from the capital of Russia, Moscow, to Kazan with the purpose of "discovering and finding the local identity" of the whole region, Tatarstan, in 10 days. Being influenced by the fashion to "discover artists from the provinces" at the world art fairs, one of the Moscow galleries sponsored the artists in order to "create" them quickly. The Republic of Tatarstan was a great place and an investment for such easy decisions - the region is part of the Russian Federation, but has its own president, its own language, its own religion and history.The region's territory was conquered by Ivan the Terrible back in the 16th century, but even to this day, citizens of the rest of Russia have a rather faint interest in the area.

Mesiats and Petrokovich agreed to create an "exploratory expedition," literally fulfilling the demands of the residence: Petrokovich went to Kazan and served as a "drone" with a "mechanical eye and hand," as much as possible away from any explanations or interpretations but being "on the ground," while Mesiats, in contrast, stayed in Moscow and acted as an "online local historian," exploring the city and its sites sent Petrokovich to the most popular and worthwhile places according to Google. Formally choosing one of the themes suggested by the organizers, "confronting the past and the future," the artists researched the city and produced a series of photographic works.