The artist from Germany EVOL turned metal structures in Vladivostok into works of art

The artist from Germany EVOL, who came to Vladivostok as part of the art program "Zarya", turned several metal structures in the city center into works of art.

EVOL uses as its work materials the paint that is characteristic of street art in cans and stencils, but does not classify itself as street artists. His work is an intervention in the urban space, often not signed and anonymous, and their content is marked by a deep elaboration of the concept. For EVOL, it is important not so much to occupy as many of the city walls as possible with your name ("tag"), how many to give a new perspective on urban space; Not so much to stay inside a closed subculture, how much to go out to a wider audience.

Although EVOL was born in Germany, he is interested in the typical architecture typical of East Berlin - multi-apartment residential buildings consisting of blocks. In poor postwar years, such buildings have become a way to provide affordable housing as many people as possible. On the other hand, they have become a utopian symbol of possible social equality. However, at present such areas are in decline: the public utopia is becoming a nightmare of dilapidated and dangerous areas. Mass architecture brought residents of the city not equality, but the same type and anonymity.

Modernist residential buildings are an important part of the story, which, nevertheless, begins to be forgotten. Through her return to the city, the demonstration of her unattractiveness in the most grand, central locations, EVOL makes her come back from oblivion and remind us of the lessons that we can endure.

In his works, EVOL always builds on the characteristics of a particular place. He has already carried out similar street interventions in cities such as Berlin, Paris, Washington, Dresden, Istanbul, Krasnoyarsk, etc. Vladivostok fits perfectly into the concept of the artist as a city of post-Soviet space. One of the works is located near the building of the Museum of Modern Art "Artetazh".

Another work EVOL, which will soon be able to see all comers, will be an object in the territory of the Factory "Zarya" - ventilation construction, using hand-made tiles imitating a block residential architecture.

Art-residence on the basis of the Center for Contemporary Art "Zarya" is a project of supporting artists, which gives an opportunity to live and work in Vladivostok. The residence chooses participants through a competition - a set of applications. Its activities are primarily aimed at analyzing the local environment and its development. During the existence of the residence, which opened in December 2014, its participants were more than 50 artists from Russia and abroad.