The 5th International Arts symposium of Yelabuga, 'Breath of the Epos'-Tatarstan, Russia 2010

In August 2010 I traveled to The Russian State of Tatarstan with artist Lynn Bennett Mackenzie of Gairloch. We had been invited to the 5th International Arts symposium of Yelabuga, organised by the Elabuga State Museum Preservation Area. The theme of the event was ‘Breath of the Epos, international artists would spend studio time creating art work on the theme of epics, culture, folklore and mythology. This was exhibited at the end of the symposium and it is hoped it will tour internationally and be followed with a book and documentary.

There were 33 artists, photographers and photo journalists. The artists came from many Russian states from as far away as Yakutia in Siberia, also artists from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Armenia. Four of us were English speakers, us two highlanders and artists from India and Egypt; we were allocated our own guides and translators.

As the journey unfolded we found ourselves transported into an unexpected and completely new world.

We discovered that the Russians though initially appearing reserved were incredibly warm, open and hospitable. Strangers on the street would stop and ask who we were, what we were doing and where from, they would nod approval at us being from Scotland and visiting their beautiful city of which they were so proud. As international guests we had a lot of TV news coverage, press conferences and interviews.

The symposium had a very busy and tight schedule, as well as the studio time there were many formal events, excursions, press conferences and meetings. We soon got used to giving speeches and working through a translator. The more I learnt the more questions I had though. Yelabuga is an ancient city which was founded by the Bulgars. It is populated by a mixture of Orthodox Russians and Muslim Tatar's, these peoples have lived and worked together in harmony for hundreds of years. There are also many ancient beliefs and peoples. I was dazzled by the array of folk costumes still worn on the many special occasions; there was always a sense of ceremony, celebration and depth to events.

At home I had nearly given up painting or drawing the subjects of myth, folklore, ancient history, epics and traditional symbols and motifs, they generally get the labels of ‘kitsch’, fantasy art, or children’s illustrations. Only really modern interpretations of the landscape will get displayed in galleries, very little figurative work is ever seen in the North. However out in Yelabuga it was a dream come true as we were given respect alongside famous Russian painters and encouraged to paint these very things. We both drew from stories of seal-folk and selkies, stories preserved by travelers such as Duncan Williamson.

It was certainly a life changing experience, to be dropped into such a warm, supportive, kind, environment, to be given so much respect as an artist and to experience such a stress free lifestyle has changed the way I look at things at home. It has also changed the work I am producing as it has given me an international context and more confidence to work the way I want to.