We’ve all done it.
Confronted with a steamed up window or a scrap of paper, it’s almost instinctive. You draw a little face, normally no more than a couple of dots and a smile.
But such idle doodles aren’t enough for artist Nikita Nomerz, who adds facial features to large man-made structures.
From laughing water towers to grinning walls with lights for eyes, Nomerz has travelled across various cities in his native Russia brightening up derelict corners with his signature faces.
"I started in school with classic hip hop graffiti but became more interested in street art and began all sorts of experiments,” he explains.
"Now basically I like to play with space and objects. I am inspired by the place itself. I love watching the city and finding an interesting point
"Usually I do not spend so much time to create one work, sometimes less than an hour. But it all depends on the size of the object and my ideas.”
Despite the similarities between Nomerz’s work and that of P183, his elusive, street artist compatriot, Nomerz rejects the term ‘underground’.
"I have been called an underground artist, but if you're doing street art you've not underground. You're already on everyone's mind, even if you paint on abandoned rubbish and only a couple of homeless people see your work. It is public art,” he insists.
"It would be nice if people started paying more attention to what is around us.”
To see some of Nomerz’s faces, check out the gallery below.