In the small Russian city of Ryazan, there is an amateur clown theatre called "-17". Its members include two IT specialists, a boarding school teacher, a pediatric dentist, a youth work specialist, and a university lecturer. These are non-professional actors who have turned their dream of becoming clowns into a serious second profession. They receive no salary — everything earned from performances is reinvested into the development of the clown theatre. It is important for them to cultivate this art form in their own region; they take joy in bringing a sense of celebration to local residents, especially to those who cannot travel to the capital cities to experience theatrical clowning. Yet they never mix these two lives — the life of a clown exists completely separate from their "main," everyday existence. It is as if two entirely different people are united within a single body.

For this portrait series, they were asked to apply the makeup of their clown characters and appear in their primary workplaces.