Happystan  2007  (video 5'10'')

Happystan is set to the cliched words of a song written by Andrey and Aliya Belyayev, one of the richest couples in Kazakhstan, who take pleasure in having their compositions performed by well-known Russian and Kazakh singers. The video juxtaposes documentary shots of the pale depressive quality of daily life in Karaganda , with a layer of fake smiles and illusions of happiness pouring from the lyrics of the song and from different forms of advertising spread across the city. It provides a critical account of Kazakhstan’s dismal reality: Andrey Belayev, the author of the song’s grotesquely upbeat lyrics is also the owner of the ruined banking empire “Valyut-Tranzit” and is currently imprisoned for fraud.