Side by side

The National Center of Photography has simultaneously launched two shows — "At Both Sides" and "ositive Processes" which, apparently, have nothing in common except the gallery space they share.

While both are worth visiting, placing them side by side is a regrettable lapse of taste since it is awkward to have disturbing documentary photography from a recent war next to an idyllic demonstration of technical photographic virtuosity defined as "art for art’s sake." But, as often in life, arcadia co-exists with anarchy.

"ositive Processes" occupies the major part of the exhibition. It deals with old printing techniques used in fine art photography in the 19th century: gum-arabic pigment print, bromoil, kalotype, gum print and the like, to all of which one of the photographers, Andrei Medvedev, granted the epithet "noble."Although made in the last couple of decades by contemporary artists, they are "precious" in same sense as antiques; hand-made, complex and often useless, in which all aspects — be it image, technology or material — are equally significant.

"Linen or cotton paper — the difference is minor, but these slight nuances become very important," Medvedev said. "The finest differences in structure and in light reflection, the characteristics of grain in many ways affect the tactics and temperament of photographer." These photographs are works of art rather than documents. To make the whole picture clear, all photographers — Timur Novikov, Denis Yegelski, Medvedev, Yegor Ostrov, Stanislav Makarov, Sergei Sveshnikov, Denis Alexandrov, and Sergei Klimov — are linked with Novikov’s legendary New Academy of Fine Arts. One of the city’s most significant movements in the 1990s, the school advocated and implemented classical aesthetic principles within contemporary art, including the exploration and practice of traditional art techniques. Therefore the subjects of the images are as culturally-charged as their techniques are esoteric: ancient heroes, Ludwig II of Bavaria, nudes, architectural details, vanity still-lives — although there is a good number of marvelous industrial landscapes.

The artistic manipulation results in an absorbing confusion of media: whether this or that image is a drawing or a photograph or even a newspaper cutting.

"In the time of high technologies, everyone can follow in the line of medieval alchemists and, using a wide repertory of professional secrets, find their own definition of beauty," Medvedev said.

But once you step into the last exhibition hall at the center, you discover the total irrelevance of such discourse.

"Both Sides” refers to the two parties in last year's war between Israel and Lebanon. The display features documentary shots by two Russian photographers, Denis Sinyakov (Agence France Presse) and Sergei Ponomaryov (The Associated Press) who observed the conflict. The show is very straight, cool and fragmentary. We don’t see the war as a grandiose narrative, but only as individual stories; we don’t see death but it is always hinted at. We have seen many such images in newspapers, on the Internet or on TV, but the images remain impressive. The most powerful pictures are those catching the gestures and faces of people who emotionally reflect on where they have found themselves, what they are doing or what they have lost — whether it is soldiers taking a smoke, children observing their destroyed playgrounds or women at funerals. Judging by the photographs, the two nations are alike in their mourning of the losses of war, but, to the same degree, differ in regard to its purpose.

"Both Sides" and "Positive Processes"run through Feb. 20 at the National Center of Photography. http://www.ncprf.org
Full article: http://www.times.spb.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=20188


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