A city is primarily a social space, the transformation of which, however, is almost entirely dependent on government initiatives that are often not approved and not agreed upon by the residents. These initiatives are usually conservative in nature, and the appearance of the city, while changing, does not meet the actual needs of those who use it.

Artists may offer an alternative, ones who are more sensitive in their individual perception of the needs of the metropolis, whose artistic practice of interaction with urban space suggests a new framework of response. Supporting Anna Krivtsova’s project, which made the short-list of Expanding Space: Artistic Practice in the Urban Environment, a long-term programme by the V—A–C Foundation, became a step in the study and development of urbanist initiatives by the Aksenov Family Foundation.

Anna Krivtsova uses a construction element which is necessary for transforming the city, but not previously explored as an art object, scaffolding, as support for vertical gardening. Following the harmonious architectural concepts of urban innovators like Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright, but still accounting for spontaneous landscaping practices, such as balcony gardens of Berlin, the artist creates her own version of a green oasis in an environment where the municipal services lack the resources to maintain real parks. In winter, the oasis should become a theatre of shadows, filling the place with a mystical atmosphere and creating an element of surprise within the usual urban scenery.