Individual Evidence of Era
dal 10/7/2013 al 10/8/2013
Segnalato da
10/7/2013
Individual Evidence of Era
Rosphoto State Russian Center for Photography, St. Petersburg
Sverdlovsk photography of 1970-1990s. In most cases it is not important whether they were made in the Urals, in Odessa, in Moscow or in the Baltic States. The exhibition is about the last decades of the Soviet power and about Russian photography of the epoch.
When Martina Franck referred to photography as 'individual evidence of our era' she meant not the photographer's connection with history. She spoke of evidence of another kind, of the ability of photography co create of simple things a poetic image of its time. Starting from real-life facts photography grows into metaphor, and the variety of subjects on photographs renders it diversity of meanings.
The exhibition introduces works by Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg) photographers of 1970s-early 1990s. In most cases it is not important whether they were made in the Urals, in Odessa, in Moscow or in the Baltic States. The exhibition is about the last decades of the Soviet power and about Russian photography of the epoch.
Like all areas of culture in the late Soviet period, photography existed in to dimensions: official and underground one. Photojournalist Vladimir Borisov (1950-1988) in his professional work followed the rules of Communist press, picturing foremost workers and steel melters at Martin furnaces, but his heart belonged to heroes of other sort, those that had power over the minds of intelligence or 1970-1980s. Bulat Okudzhava, Bella Akhmadoulina, Yuri Vizbor, Oleg Yefremov, Vladimir Vyssotsky and Taganka Theater – they were the real voice of the epoch. Looking at Vladimir Borisov's genre photographs we also recognize characters of familiar books, films and bard songs; the photographs seem to convey the romantic attitude of the “Sixtiers”.
Student unions and amateur photography clubs existed alongside official Soviet photography. They were free of editorial commissions and censorship, open to international photography “filtering its way” through Czech magazine Fotorevue. In Sverdlovsk, this niche was occupied by Photochronicle of Ural Polytechnical Institute and Tovarish photography club. From 1981, the photography club was headed by Anatoly Cherey (1954-1993), most famous Sverdlovsk photographer of his generation. The exhibition includes works by Igor Goryachev now living in St.Petersburg, Yekaterinburg photographer Sergey Rogozhkin etc.
Young photographers were sincere in their search of new themes and new language, inspired by Henri Cartier-Bresson and photography of the decisive moment. Sverdlovsk photography is characterized by grotesque and by treating life as absurdist theater. They tackled themes that were taboo in official Soviet photography: poverty, desolation, despair, death, faith. It is no coincidence that many photographs depict children with their inherent feel of life mixing fantasy with fear and aggression. The 'freakish', the 'childish' character as if discovers the world anew, throwing off the blinders of ideology.
Yevgeny Malakhin (Starik Bukashkin, 1938-2005) was an underground artist. In early 1970s, when he was just barely over 30 and the image of Starik (Old Man) was not yet invented, Malakhin experimented with photographic processes and forms, boiled negatives and melted emulsion. Looking back at his work nowadays, he seems the most outstanding and probably the first art photographer in the Urals. Belonging to his time and continuing within the Modernist art tradition of early XX century, he created artworks that are like no other.
Text by Artyom Berkovich
Metenkov House Museum of Photography
Metenkov House, the photography museum (branch of Yekaterinburg History Museum) was founded in 1993. It occupies the building that had belonged to Veniamin Leontyevich Metenkov, one of the best Yekaterinburg photographers of the turn of XX century. Museum was opened to public on 10 August 1998. The museum opens new exhibitions one to two times a month. During last 15 years, Metenkov House has introduced classical and contemporary photography to the audience. The museum is engaged in education: it curates a photography club, organizes lectures and master classes. The new wave of Yekaterinburg photography has received world recognition in the recent time, and the museum allows young photographers to introduce themselves.
At working with historical archives, Metenkov House has created photographic chronicle of the city and researched the history of photography in Yekaterinburg. The museum's collection keeps archives of local photographers of different generations: Anatoly Grakhov (press photographer for TASS press agency in 1970-1980s), Vladislav Vetlougin (press photographer for Uralsky Rabochiy newspaper in 1970-1990s), Anatoly Cherey and Tovarish Photography Club (independent photography of 1980 – early 1990s), along with collection of the Urals' photography of 1990s etc.
Non-commercial institution Foundation for Development of Photography
The non-commercial institution, Foundation for Development of Photography was founded in 2008 with the aim of development of photography culture in Yekaterinburg. During its existence the Fund realized several large international projects in photography: Gran Vekov festival of photography of Shanghai Cooperation Organization countries (2009), international photography competition Europe and Asia. Cultures Dialog (2009), it was first in Russia to show the large retrospective of Magnum agency photographer Bruce Gilden Coney Island — New York (2012).
Image by Vladimir Borisov
Press contacts
Maria Gourieva +7 (812) 3141214 gourieva@rosphoto.org
Press accreditation via email projects@rosphoto.org or phone +7(812) 314-12-14 (Tatiana)
Opening: 11 July 2013 at 18.00
Yard Building exhibition hall, 2nd floor
ROSPHOTO. State Museum and Exhibition Centre for Photography
ul. Bolshaya Morskaya, 35 Saint-Petersburg 191186, Russia
daily 11-19, Thu 11-21