Polaroids (series out of 6 images, 7.6x7.8cm each piece). These images were made with very rare Russian — English vintage camera from 1989. «Svetozor-Polaroid» is a special edition of the original Polaroid 635 CL, using the same original cassette of Polaroid 600 series film.
What does the word «Border» means for one growing up in Omsk, Siberia, when the closest city is around 600 km away? It is almost a 5 day walk. It would also take around 1 day to reach the Russian-Kazakh border from Omsk. The fact that there are a few large cities in Europe situated on the border between two or more countries breaks the concept of purity. The city I depict is German Görlitz — Polish Zgorzelec. The most Eastern town in Germany and most Western town in Poland, divided just by the river and by cigarette prices. So I am singing the praises of this amazing place with Raw Capitalism Polish advertisement and German «Streets of Friendship».
My attention is drawn to very beautiful, absolutely distinctive and original signs, advertising tobacco shops. Obviously made by non-professional artists, they are hiding in the dark gateways of a town due to illegal selling business. People prefer to save money, so they are welcomed in polish side of a town to pay a cheaper price. That makes the place even more interesting: outdated and primitive style ads give an original сharm to its visual culture.
Polaroid fac simile (inkjet, fragment, 70x100cm), documentation (digital photo).
The selected image is a part of the original series, containing 6 Polaroids. Capturing the DIY signs of illegal tobacco shops on the streets of Polish Zgorzelec, the most Eastern town in Germany and most Western town in Poland, divided just by the river and by cigarette prices. The piece was created for the international exhibition "Border" where PhD students from international studies share their concepts of geographical limits. The project should take place in Russia in March 2020, but was postponed till November due to the Corid-19 lockdown.