Travel Notes

Painting Khrushchev

Eight graffiti teams have breathed life into a residential area in Moscow’s northeastern region. As part of the “Paint Moscow” project, Russian and visiting artists attacked the gray walls of twelve “khrushchevka” apartment buildings with cans of paint. 

Khrushchevkas are five-story concrete tilt-ups that were widely built in the 1960s to address the post-war housing crisis. They are renowned for their poor construction. Ironically, the newly-decorated houses are scheduled to be demolished in 2010 under Moscow’s plans for housing redevelopment.