Nikolay Bakharev in
Conversation with Luca Desienna of
Gomma Magazine
1. Nikolay Bakharev is Russian photographer
from Siberia. He created a series of emotional and controversial portraits in
the 70’s, during Soviet society. Because of provoking context of his works, the
distribution of nudity in photographs, has been banned.
2. As Nikolay says : “I expose the nature which people do not want to admit to”. This statement just repeats itself in
every single shot he has taken. For example, on the first image we see naked man
and woman that seem to be caught on camera just by accident. They turned to the
viewer, starring toward the camera. But in the same time they do not ashamed to
be viewed, they judge the observer. Settings of every image is created very thoughtfully.
For those who does not know, carpet on the wall is traditional decoration in
regular Russian apartment in soviet time. Blanket on the bed, funny looking
slippers on the floor, wallpaper on the other wall is ALL regular settings in
the regular apartment during soviet union. Everybody was “united”… seem to be
cloned, nobody is unique, sameness is happiness. Where am I going with this?
Those pictures are painfully familiar at least because of backgrounds.
Second photo is getting even
more hilarious and organized with aesthetical brutality. Homemade “paradise” topped
with “having-no-a-clue-what-is-going-on” white cat in the center of it and few
american magazines that the hero of the photograph had access to. And again:
the same carpets and old dialing phone on the table accomplishing perfect shot.
The last portrait adds a little more innocence in Bakharev’s works. She was
caught by surprise, surrounded by fashion magazines and having a little tea
party on her own.
3.Honestly, the first time when I
have looked at those portraits I had uncertain feelings: disgust and respect. Artist questioned and fought prejudice of that time when most things were
prohibited, banned and negatively criticized by society and government. His
works nothing else but posed beautiful ugliness and ugly beauty.
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