Nizhny Novgorod is a city where openwork merchant houses coexist with outstanding constructivist architecture, factories are reborn into cultural centers, and the facades of houses are captured by street art. On the eve of Beat Weekend, we asked the festival team to create a guide to our favorite places in Nizhny. The result is nine highlights that you won’t find in classic guidebooks. Bookmark it and go explore the main places of power.
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Wise: explore the streets
Nizhny Novgorod is a city where merchant vibe meets street art. There is all kinds of street art on every corner here, especially in the center. “Crocodile” is the oldest graffiti under the Kanavinsky Bridge. It looks powerful: as if a green beast is about to swallow giant concrete and any living creatures around. Bonus: the bridge is an ideal platform to view Nizhny from all sides.
At the abandoned Kuibyshev water pumping station, a tower will silently scream at you. This is the work “Big Brother” by the cult Nizhny Novgorod artist Nikita Nomerz. On Rodionova Street, look for the monumental diptych of Andrei Olenev, dedicated to a new life. Olenev has a lot of works throughout the city, but they are often covered over or the abandoned wooden houses on which the art appears are simply demolished.
Wood: look at the sovrisk
Arsenal is a cool museum inside the Kremlin. There was once a military warehouse here, and now they exhibit contemporary art. The red brick walls, cast iron floor slabs and even the stair railings look almost the same as they did 200 years ago.
Come see the legacy of the engineer-reformer Vladimir Shukhov (water towers, fire towers and two hundred more mini-objects), paintings by Pavel Pepperstein, Ilya Kabakov, Taus Makhacheva (at the exhibition “The Unnameable”) and hypnotic video art by Bill Viola (if you didn’t have time at Pushkinsky). In the Vasari bookstore you can buy museum merchandise as a souvenir.
In general, there are a lot of beautiful things on the territory of the Kremlin. Not far from Arsenal is the constructivist House of Soviets, where the local administration meets. And from here there is an excellent view of Strelka – the confluence of the Volga and Oka.
Wise: getting lost in lasers
“Tsekh” is an ideal spot on the territory of Nizhpoligraf. They love media art here and hold exhibitions and performances that you want to endlessly post in your stories. The important visual art festival Intervals takes place here every year, as well as the closing of Beat Weekend 2021.
The “Workshop” is managed by the Dreamlaser studio. Their office is also located in Nizhpoligraf. The guys know everything about lasers, stroboscopes, aquabeams and mapping. Outside of Nizhny, Dreamlaser made installations, for example, for the Signal festival, Northern River Station, GUM and Zaryadye.
Wood: go back to the 80s
“Eaglet” is a legendary cinema, opened in the 1980s and still retaining the atmosphere of that era. Initially, “Eaglet” specialized in films for children, and then began to show bold auteur films in the spirit of Pasolini’s “120 Days of Sodom.” There is still a touching sign on the façade with posters “for adults” and “for children.”
The Orlyonka program has been supervised by the charming Irina Yurievna Kallistova almost from the moment of its opening. Come watch “Moby”, “Michael and His Jordans”, “The Scars of Ali Bulala”, “Looking” and other documentary hits as part of the Beat Weekend 2021 festival.
Wise: try everything
The food in Nizhny is also excellent. The main foodie of the city is Sergey Ukhanov. He owns key new wave establishments that are especially loved by millennials and zoomers. Each of them is a gastrotour to the restaurateur’s favorite places, from Sri Lanka to Italy.
“Ceylon” is an ode to Indian cuisine; take spicy curry with stewed lamb, tempura eggplant with tomato mousse and watallapan for dessert. “Salute” – burgers and craft food with sets from local DJs. “Yula” – real Neapolitan pizza and lots of wine. “Sovok” is a noodle shop, which, among other things, has an exhibition space for young talented artists.
Mud: find the perfect cocktail
Copper Pipes is the best bar in town. They prepare timeless classics like the White Russian, Gin and Tonic, Manhattan and Bloody Mary, and are also happy to mix something unusual at your request. It’s better to book your seats in advance: the bar is small, they say that not even the governor was allowed in recently.
If you’re in the mood to “dance like Grace Jones,” then dress up in glitter and head to the semi-secret bar ÖÖ. The cocktail menu includes a dozen original creations and strong alcohol, but the main asset is, of course, jazz parties on weekends.
Mood: fly off at a punk concert
Pochayna is a former distillery that is being transformed into a creative cluster. First of all, go to the Alcatraz bar – a place of power for local punks, where Ploho, Gmok, Bagdadski Vor, Deck, “Buerak” and other noisy bands often play. However, Alcatraz is not limited to punk alone: young indie artists also regularly perform here. An amazing juxtaposition of genres.
Other residents of “Pochaynaya” – “Headquarters”. This is the space of the Nizhny Novgorod editorial office of The Village, reminiscent of a commune of friends. On one day, open editorial meetings and lectures are held here, on another – music festivals with big names. Next door is another place with parties and concerts – Cargo Cult Bar, so you can shuttle between establishments all night.
Wise: falling in love with Vyksa
Vyksa is a town near Nizhny, which is becoming great thanks to street art. After the Art Ravine festival, an Industrial Park of Street Art appeared here. It looks something like this: artists paint the walls of an operating metallurgical plant, turning a giant industrial colossus into an art object.
It’s also worth coming here for Eric Bulatov’s fresh mural “Stop – Go”, Alexey Luka’s sticky geometric painting about factory workers and the largest graffiti in Europe, which was done by our friend Misha Most. Banksy, dear, if you are reading this, then you urgently need to go to Vyksa.
Beat Weekend coordinator Alexander Komarov helped us make this guide. Send him a heart.
