The Russia Issue

Sommaire

• The rise and fall of Alexander Rodchenko

  Alexander Rodchenko (1891-1956) was perhaps one of the most influential artists of the 20th century and at any rate one of the most versatile. The government that gave him the opportunity to fully develop his talents also set out to destroy his character and artistic skill. He was 18 when the revolution broke out in Russia and fully supported the ideals of Soviet communism.

  par Han Schoonhoven
• In The Shadows of The City

  As part of a new generation of Russian photographers that emerged as the Iron Curtain began to fall, Boris Savelev's photographs have come to exemplify a shift in how the rest of the world perceives Russia. A retrospective of his work at Michael Hoppen Contemporary in London earlier this year explored his oeuvre from the late '70s to today, tracing an emerging aesthetic that has been described as particularly Russian, but is truly Savelev's own: both intimate and urbane, spontaneous and elegant.

• The Sochi Project

  Interview de Rob Hornstra
  In a film on the project website, the 81-year-old Gennadi Kuk calls on the Dutch Crown Prince Willem-Alexander to consider the impact that the arrival of the Olympic Games is having on the historic seaside resort of Sochi (Russia). His call is exemplary of what duo Rob Hornstra (photographer) and Arnold van Bruggen (writer/filmmaker) hope to communicate with The Sochi Project.

  par Lise Lotte ten Voorde
• Alla Esipovich - No comment

  For Alla Esipovich (St. Petersburg, Russia 1963) it is cardinally important that there should be nothing ‘staged’ in her work. The elderly people in her photographs are not asked to pose, but if they want to pose as a way of manifesting their own identity they are welcome to do so. Parallel to this identity, the transformation of Russia is still very visible in the photographs of Leningraders who became St. Petersburgers.

• A growing optimism

  In recognition of his work, Simon Roberts (London, 1974) has received a wide array of prestigious awards. The book Motherland is a visual statement about a dignified people, 15 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Instead of clichés of poverty and despair, Roberts presents images of optimistic Russians and beautiful landscapes in a country still so marked by its history.

• Wealthy people don’t brag about money

  Anna Skladmann’s series Little Adults reminds us of Theater of Manners, Tina Barney’s images of upper-class, Anglo-American life in an enclave on the coast of Rhode Island. Often, the backdrops for her subjects are highly decorated, if overstuffed, interiors. Floral chintz fabrics and wallpaper, heirloom paintings and wood-panelled libraries vie for attention behind equally well-appointed figures. There is a distance, a stiffness in Barney’s photographs. The people look like they do not connect. It is the best they can do. This inability to show physical affection is in their heritage. It is called ‘noblesse oblige’. Their serenity suggests the naturalness of wealth. There was money, there is money, there will always be money. They exude this conviction. Barney’s world is built, not bought. It was achieved over the long haul. It’s an aggregation of history, both national and personal.

  par Pim Milo
• четыре x талант

  The heading above is Russian for 'four times talent' which we will be showing you on the next 23 pages. Up to this point there has been no Dutch or Dutch related talent shown in this issue and we owe it to show you some of them. So hereby we have found you four young and promising talents from, or working in, the Netherlands on subjects concerning Russia. Zip your vodka, relax and enjoy those mini-portfolios.
  Boudewijn Bollmann - from holland with love
  Pavel Prokopchik - Theatre of the Absurd
  Bieke Depoorter - Oe Menia (WITH ME)
  Annick Ligtermoet - Zapovedniy

• Alexey Titarenko - Captured in Grey

  Our perception of time is brief, something Alexey Titarenko (St. Petersburg 1962) visualises superbly. His long-exposure photographs of Russian passersby show a country in a state of flux. A whole crowd fades away in grey shadows, as a solitary detail is captured in silence. We are very fortunate to be able to present this previously unpublished work...