Art in Dark Places
Nomerz

Russia has gotten a lot of bad press lately – very understandably – but I don’t want to forget that in this massive country, there are millions of people who are creative and doing positive things for their community. One such person is street artist Nikitia Nomerz, who takes abandoned or dilapidated buildings around Russia and gives them character by turning them into faces. Sometimes eyes look out from a dark doorway, or hands reach out at passersby, and others are smiling faces looking out at an often bleak landscape. Nomerz is among the world’s most visible street artists, and his work has gained him notoriety both in Russia and around the world. Street art like Nomerz’ is so far from vandalism that it is laughable to think that it can still be punished by law. By contrast, his work offers a bright spot on the landscape, something to bring a bit of light into people’s lives as they pass by an otherwise ugly building or decaying structure. Check out some of his work below and a video of one of his projects, “Mr Barrel.”