In Moscow, urban renewal leaves artists out in the cold

In Moscow, urban renewal leaves artists out in the cold

Sergei Alexandrov has just a few weeks to take down the colorful landscapes and seaside sunsets that have brightened the walls of his Moscow studio ahead of a deadline to demolish it. The Soviet-era residence block near the center of the Russian capital which houses his workplace is set to be leveled as part of a massive urban renewal drive that will see thousands of apartment buildings replaced with towering skyscrapers.

The packing boxes on the floor of the studio that he rents for a pittance are filling up quickly, but Alexandrov has no idea where to take them. "They haven't made me an offer yet, so I'm going to stay until the end,“ Alexandrov told AFP with a smile, looking out at removal vans hauling off the belongings of the bloc's last remaining residents. The 65-year-old is one of hundreds of artists in Moscow at risk of losing their studios under the ambitious urban project, which is costing authorities some 100 billion rubles per year ($1.2 billion).

Over 4,000 buildings are ultimately expected to be leveled and some 350,000 households relocated, but the future looks dim for the artists. Until now they benefited from a Soviet-era program that provided free studios