Kristina Sergeeva & Kristina Shkileva
Train to the Future, 2023
Created during the PolArt residency in Norilsk

In the course of the history of the XX–XXI centuries, each Russian city has formed its own unique identity, established its own local cultural code, its own «ecostyle» of space. But also, in addition to the internal way of life, around the cities developed a vision of the place from the outside, more often piled with prejudices and superstitions. Among people who have never been to the Arctic Circle, cities like Norilsk are associated with permafrost, lack of light, depressing landscapes and dark history. We set out on a photo expedition to find another Norilsk — to find magical realism in its naturalness and ruins, and through romanticization to form the folklore of its present, or even future. What do the ruins of a bygone era hold and how do they coexist in the present? How is the aura of a place formed? How is space mythologized? These and other questions we ask in Train to the future.