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
![Some 60 artists from across Europe visited Kazan to transform public spaces during the city's first graffiti festival.](https://gdb.rferl.org/417a47f0-4d0d-43aa-85ef-246ded55f2e1_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Some 60 artists from across Europe visited Kazan to transform public spaces during the city's first graffiti festival.
![The artists had access to some 40 locations, including apartment buildings, bridges, and fences, totaling about 10,000 square meters of paintable surfaces. ](https://gdb.rferl.org/13fd57df-610c-4f93-9044-fc2ecd62dc2f_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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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.
![Some of the artists had the help of industrial cranes to reach the upper stories.](https://gdb.rferl.org/a0b420d7-0b08-4222-b835-22ddcfc6a0fa_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Some of the artists had the help of industrial cranes to reach the upper stories.
![](https://gdb.rferl.org/cfcce18a-88ee-4313-a8fa-d85f51594698_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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![Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov (left) and Kazan Mayor Ilsur Metshin (right) tour the works in progress during the festival.](https://gdb.rferl.org/ed9cd3d9-0054-4309-9053-e109c86e27d2_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov (left) and Kazan Mayor Ilsur Metshin (right) tour the works in progress during the festival.
![Organizer Anastasia Zakirova said that the participants were given no guidelines for their work, and could create anything they wanted.](https://gdb.rferl.org/bbf8aeb1-c725-4006-bc19-3ddbaf0f62d3_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Organizer Anastasia Zakirova said that the participants were given no guidelines for their work, and could create anything they wanted.
![](https://gdb.rferl.org/8189fbf7-9efa-4eba-ac48-62ff27df6988_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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![A mural lines the edges of a reservoir near a central mosque.](https://gdb.rferl.org/53ebb3bd-2e3d-463b-88a6-fdebe65cf0fa_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A mural lines the edges of a reservoir near a central mosque.
![](https://gdb.rferl.org/5b7d5324-f3f5-4357-8a95-d528363b1cec_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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