Locals here do not hesitate to paint their houses in the most unimaginable colors for Russia.
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Alina Belyaeva
Bashkortostan is a republic located in the Russian Urals with the capital in Ufa. The eastern side of the region is home to perhaps the most cheerful people in the whole of the Russian Federation. // Tepyanovo village
Alina Belyaeva
For a start, locals here do not hesitate to paint their houses in the most unimaginable colors for Russia, with its rather unjust reputation for dreariness. // Amangildino village
Alina Belyaeva
In any one village you will not find two houses alike. Each resident is seeking to create an individual facade. The brighter it is, the more likely the owner is to win the competition for the most beautiful house. // Makhmutovo village
Alina Belyaeva
They think about every tiny detail. Like in a fairy tale, decorative color predominates, turning reality on its head and imparting new artistic meaning to familiar objects. // Ishkulovo village
Alina Belyaeva
The passer-by can only wonder at the imagination of the craftsmen! But where the tradition originated is hard to say. // Urgunovo village
Alina Belyaeva
As project author Alina Belyaeva says: "I started work on the photo series in 2013, visiting Bashkortostan's remotest areas in search of unusual houses." // Askarovo village
Alina Belyaeva
"I've made dozens of pictures, but these are my favorite. To my mind, the amazing sense of color, rhythm and harmony are characteristic of folk artists in full swing." // Ishkulovo village
Alina Belyaeva
"In some color combinations I've even noticed a resemblance with the decoupages of Henri Matisse, or the naive yet subtle traits of Paul Klee." // Mindyak village
Alina Belyaeva
"I was pleasantly surprised by the delicate, poignant attitude that locals have towards their homeland." // Makhmutovo village
Alina Belyaeva
All the houses were photographed in the Abzelilovsky and Uchalinsky regions of Bashkortostan, in the east of the republic. All these villages count about 500 inhabitants on average, all of them ethnic Bashkirs. // Ishkulovo village
