Snapshots of Russia

Episode 1 – In Search of Utopia
With Alexander Gronsky, Danila Tkachenko, Alexander Kuznetsov

From the myth of Holy Russia to the communist ideal, many contemporary photographers explore the remnants of the utopias that have shaped their country’s cataclysmic history. Alexander Gronsky captures the traces of a vanished collective prosperity dream in the suburban areas of Moscow, while Danila Tkachenko repurposes Malevich’s revolutionary Quadrangle into an artistic installation. From the vast Siberian mountains to dehumanized prisons and factories, Alexander Kuznetsov examines the boundaries between oppression and freedom.

Episode 2 – The Torn Country
With Victoria Ivleva, Misha Domozhilov, Oksana Yushko

A true ethnic mosaic stretching 9,000 kilometers from east to west, Russia has been undergoing a profound identity crisis since the collapse of the USSR. Between the remnants of communism and rampant capitalism, the opulence of urban elites and the harshness of rural life, external conflicts and internal political divisions, society is more polarized than ever. These complex realities are explored in the works of Misha Domozhilov (focusing on ultra fans), Oksana Yushko (on Russo-Ukrainian couples), and the elder Victoria Ivleva. Renowned for her entry into the Chernobyl Reactor 4 five years after the disaster, she has also exposed the brutality of police repression.

Episode 3 – On the Edge of the Empire
With Elena Anosova, Oleg Klimov, Dmitry Markov, Igor Mukhine

In this continent-sized country, many provinces remain difficult to access. From the Siberian snows, where Elena Anosova captures the millennia-old daily life of a world-isolated village, to Sakhalin, where Oleg Klimov documents the residents’ powerlessness in the face of the island’s natural resource confiscation, geographical isolation is accompanied by social and cultural marginality. However, cities also harbor their share of outcasts—voluntary or otherwise—such as the underground young artists followed by Igor Mukhine, or the disaffected teenagers of Pskov, captured by Dmitry Markov.

Episode 4 – The Russian Myth
With Valeri Nistratov, Sergey Maximishin, Aleksey Myakishev

The enigma of the “Russian soul,” popularized beyond the country’s borders, continues to fascinate photographers. By capturing the visual manifestations of Russian culture—whether Orthodox, communist, or capitalist—these artists contribute to forging a new myth through their images. While Valeri Nistratov creates poetic and ironic portraits of Russian women, Sergey Maximishin, akin to his model Gogol, captures the absurdity of life in his country. Meanwhile, Alexey Myakishev immortalizes eternal Russia on film in a remote village in Karelia.