Kosta Tonev
Moscow exceeded my expectations. It is a huge, buzzing metropolis. It is not just big, but also impressive. You can easily see that it used to be the centre of an empire. Even thirty years after the Soviet Union broke up, its vestiges can still be seen everywhere. Everything revolves around scale and splendour. The city is very European, but different from anything you see in the rest of Europe. I believe that I also learn from my stay. I grew up on the side of the Iron Curtain that was dominated by Moscow. When I was a child I played with Soviet toys. Many things in this city feel like a look into the past for me. Sometimes I notice things because they remind me of something I saw many years ago.
| 1. | My stay in one word: |
| Factory life. | |
| 2. | Things I miss since I am no longer there: |
| In Moscow I miss European cheese. Agricultural products are not imported from the EU because of the embargo. | |
| 3. | Dos & Don'ts at this place?: |
| People eat ice cream in winter. You must not drink water from the tap. | |
| 4. | Where you can buy great supplies: |
| Peredvizhnik at Winzavod – just one metro station away. | |
| 5. | What you should definitely bring with you from home: |
| Moscow is rather European. You will find everything you might need. | |
| 6. | On art at my residency place: |
| The residency is located at a course centre where exhibitions and cultural events take place regularly. | |
| 7. | Around the studio – this is where I go shopping, drink a coffee and get the best lunch specials within walking distance: |
| In the wide street near the residency (Bakuninskaya), there are all kinds of supermarkets. Somewhat further down the street, there is an Armenian restaurant called Paros. It is bit hidden, but well known among the locals. You can eat well at a low cost there. | |
| 8. | Where I like to spend the evening (dinner, drinks and best sound): |
| Eating Georgian food – a real classic in Moscow. | |
| 9. | What I would have liked to know about the studio already at the start of my residency: |
| I wish I had known more about the city. Moscow is rather overwhelming at the beginning. |
Website resident: kostatonev.com