33 artists reimagine Moscow’s coat of arms for the 21st century

Thirty-three Russian artists have united to update Moscow’s ancient coat of arms into a moving digital artwork fit for the 21st century.

Featuring four distinct elements — a horse and rider, a spear, and a fearsome basilisk — Moscow’s coat of arms has been in use since the 1700s. The symbol evokes the legend of St George and the Dragon, who local ruler Yaroslav the Wise adopted as his personal saint back at the turn of the first millenium.

The new renditions ranged from the political — picturing Moscow’s controversial housing demolition programme, heavy-handed riot police and protesters Pussy Riot — to tongue-in-cheek takes on crowded metro cars, Soviet nostalgia, and the capital’s never-ending run of roadworks.

To see each of the artworks in more detail, visit the project’s Behance page here.