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© 2021 MOCT Foundation
MOCT in collaboration
with ZIMA Magazine &
Paulina Siniatkina
December 2020, London
ZIMA is one of the most recognised Russian-speaking media project based in London, which is comprised of a website zimamagazine.com, a print magazine ZIMA and an offline-community ZIMA Club.

ZIMA magazine is a quarterly Russian
language publication that provides an insider's guide to living abroad. Last December MOCT Foundation commissioned Paulina Siniatkina, an artist and an activist, to create an art cover for the special New Year issue. The result was a real art-experiment dedicated to everything so dear to our heart: parts of Russian culture that speak of folk arts and handicrafts, legends, and childhood memories of the magic fairytales.

Beautifully crafted watercolour Mezensky motifs laid a foundation
for Paulina's creative exploration of this brief. Authentically Russian Mezensky style is one of the most ancient art crafts. Using this technique, Russian folk artists decorated most of the household items that accompanied a person from birth through its entire life, where it brought joy and beauty.

"It felt very organic to choose Mezensky motif as a base for my inspiration. Being a student of a classical art school I deeply cherish folk arts and handicrafts and their impact on our culture. Like anything else, they perfectly reflect the nature of the Russian soul and our traditions.
The result happened to combine everything: a modern twist, and a dose of archaism, and Russia, and London, and summer, and 'Zima'."

MOCT foundation was proud to support this collaboration and reinforce our mission of advancing Russian arts. By creating international opportunities, young artists have a chance to establish their names within a global art community and establish connections that would support their creative careers for years to come.

We would like to thank the team at Zima magazine for their collaborative spirit, openness, and the desire to experiment. We are looking forward to having more joint ventures and daring goals.


Artist: Paulina Siniatkina
Photo: Tamara Evsiukova
zimamagazine.com