Contemporary Russian Photography

Contemporary Russian Photography is an extensive representation of the evolution of creative photography in Russia from the Khrushchev period of the late 1950’s through the wild experimentalism of Perestroika and its aftermath in the 1990s to the work of young Russian photographers today. The presentation of Russian photography shows the remarkable breadth of the photographic arts in Russia over the past 56 years. The essays provide a re-examination of the history of creative photography in Russia after Stalinism.

The book is divided into three chapters: After Stalin and “The Thaw” The Re-emergence of the Personal Voice Late 1940s through the 1970s

Including artists such as: Alexander Ustinov, Galina Lukianova, Georgy Pinkhassov, Max Alpert. Perestroika Liberalization and Experimentation Mid 1980s–2010

Including artists such as: Boris Mikhailov, Sergey Chilikov, Sergey Maximishin, Yuri Kozyrev, Gregory Maiofis, Vadim Gushchin, Alexander Gronsky, Alexey Titarenko, Igor Moukhin. The Young Generation A Collective Portrait Mid 2000s–2012

Including artists such as: Anastasia Tailakova, Daria Tuminas, Anna Skladmann, Nikita Pirogov.

The history of Russian creative photography since the late 1950s, its artists and art works are the subjects of essays by the leading Russian curators and independent art historians, Evgeny Berezner, Irina Chmyreva and Natalia Tarasova. As Deputy Director General for photography and multi-media projects at the ROSIZO State Museum and Exhibition Center of the Russian Ministry of Culture, Evgeny Berezner curated over 150 exhibitions of contemporary and classical Russian photography. Irina Chmyreva is the senior researcher for photography at the Department of Russian Art of the 20th Century in the State Research Institute of Art History in The Russian Academy of Fine Arts.

She has written widely on Russian photography. Natalia Tarasova has been curating exhibitions of contemporary and classical photography since the mid-ninties in Russia and abroad. She is the Assistant Professor at the Photography Art Department of Moscow State University of Culture and Arts. The introduction, by Wendy Watriss (FotoFest), will pay homage to the durability of the creative Russian spirit.