Mural in Solnechnodolsk — Shozy, Solnechnodolsk
Shozy (Danila Shmelev) · Solnechny Boulevard 10 · Solnechnodolsk, Stavropol Krai, Russia
Before-and-after image from Street Art Utopia’s archive; photographer not recorded on it. ProRus and Afisha credit their photographs of the finished wall to Dmitry Levochkin. Full image shown. Artwork: Shozy.
Two blank end walls of ordinary five-storey panel blocks became more panel block: Shozy painted extra flats that jut out of the corner, and one seems to hover in mid-air. Knife · ProRus · Colossal Checked
5 things to know
- An idea turned down elsewhereShmelev told ProRus he had carried the idea of extending a real panel building for about two and a half years; other cities rejected his sketches until the festival organisers backed it. ProRus Reported
- Part of a festival that remade a small townKnife reported that the «Культурный код» (Cultural Code) street-art festival brought 62 artists and assistants to Solnechnodolsk for a month and produced 41 murals on the ends of apartment blocks. Knife Reported
- About 320 m² in 12 daysProRus lists the wall at about 320 m², painted in 12 days with assistant Alexei Tarakin. ProRus adds that a real air conditioner on the wall became part of the illusion. Afisha Daily, in a story based on ProRus, repeats the 12-day figure. ProRus · Afisha Daily Reported
- The windows light up at nightThe festival walls got gobo lighting; on Shozy’s illusory house, Knife reported, the windows light up after dark. Knife Reported
- Built for about five yearsKnife wrote in 2021 that the murals would last about five years before weather and settling took their toll, and that they would be renewed rather than painted over. Knife Reported
Check-in guide
- 📍
- Solnechny Boulevard 10 (Солнечный бульвар, 10), Solnechnodolsk, Stavropol Krai. ProRus Reported
- 🧱
- Look for the inside corner where two windowless end walls meet. Knife · ProRus Checked
- 🧭
- Not Solnechnogorsk near Moscow: Afisha’s web address uses that name, but its article and every other source say Solnechnodolsk. Afisha Daily
Sightings
- 202118 Oct
Knife festival report
- 202228 Jan
Colossal feature
- 20223 Feb
ProRus project listing
- 20228 Feb
Afisha Daily news
All four stamps are publication dates. Knife reported from the town in October 2021; the 2022 stories use photographs of the finished wall. We found no newer dated photograph, so the status stamp records the latest publication, not a recent visit.
On the record
A resident checks the wall
«Достроили, что ли?» — вопрошает саму себя жительница Солнечнодольска и дотрагивается до стены дома с 3D-рисунком.
“Did they build an extension, or what?” a Solnechnodolsk resident asks herself, touching the wall of the house with the 3D painting.
Two and a half years in the making
«Саму идею как бы продолжить реальную архитектуру панельного дома я вынашивал порядка двух с половиной лет.»
“I had been nurturing the idea of, as it were, continuing the real architecture of a panel building for about two and a half years.” Danila Shmelev.
A familiar landscape, seen again
“In Russia, we are all accustomed to the architecture of panel houses.”
Shozy, quoted in English by Grace Ebert. Colossal credits all its images to Urban Morpho Genesis.
The facts
- Title
- No title from the artist was found. ProRus files the project as «Мурал в Солнечнодольске» (Mural in Solnechnodolsk), which we use here; Street Art Utopia’s caption calls it “Corner Illusion”. ProRus Unconfirmed
- Artist
- Shozy (Danila Shmelev); assistant Alexei Tarakin. ProRus · Colossal Checked Assistant named only by ProRus. Reported
- Location
- Solnechnodolsk, Russia. Knife · ProRus · Colossal Checked Knife places the town in Stavropol Krai. Solnechny Boulevard 10. ProRus Reported
- Festival
- «Культурный код» (Cultural Code). Knife · ProRus Checked Colossal says it was created for the Urban Morpho Genesis festival. Colossal Conflicting We follow the two Russian sources, one of them written on site.
- Size and time
- About 320 m²; 12 days. ProRus Reported Afisha repeats only the 12 days, in a story based on ProRus, so it does not count as a second source.
- Status
- Seen February 2022 (latest dated publication). Afisha Daily Reported No later dated photograph found. Unconfirmed
- Photograph
- Before-and-after image from Street Art Utopia’s archive, uploaded June 2024; photographer not recorded. Archive post Unconfirmed
Related
- Odd Art and Architecture (12 Photos): the SAU collection that includes this wall.
- Stunning Optical Illusion Mural by Shozy Changes the Way You See Street Art: more photographs of the wall on Street Art Utopia (that post names the town as Solnechnogorsk).
- Phoenix by Gert Neuhaus: another building-scale trompe-l’œil, with its own Artwork File.
All sources (4)
Counted sources
- Knife (Нож): «Культурный код» в Ставропольском крае, Agata Korovina, 18 October 2021. On-site festival report; describes Shozy’s corner of two blank walls, the night lighting and the expected lifespan.
- ProRus (Проект Россия): Мурал в Солнечнодольске, 3 February 2022. Project listing with address, year, size, duration, assistant, artist’s quotes; photographs by Dmitry Levochkin.
- Colossal: A Trompe L’oeil Mural by Shozy Imagines a 3D Architectural Addition to an Apartment Building, Grace Ebert, 28 January 2022. Names Danila Shmelev and Solnechnodolsk; images courtesy of Urban Morpho Genesis.
Derived coverage
- Afisha Daily: В Солнечнодольске на стене пятиэтажки нарисовали иллюзию пятиэтажки, Rustam Abdullin, 8 February 2022. Retells the ProRus story with Levochkin’s photographs; not counted separately.
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