Matilde McCann - Artist Post

1) Boris Mikhailov is a photographer born and raised in a former Soviet Ukraine. Living through the entire splendor and prominence of the USSR, his photography sheds light on the reality behind a soviet Ukraine. He is described as "one of the most important artists to have emerged from the former USSR." The photo series I am concentrating on is titled "Case History" and depicts the homeless and displaced people who were not able to find their place in the new social system of the former Soviet Union. Mikhailov aims to highlight the superficiality of society photographing those most ignored.

2) I chose these three photos for their subjects, the way they interact with each other and the aesthetically pleasing way the camera captures their poses. In the first one it seems to be a homeless couple. He took more than one picture of them, and I like the contrast between the two as well as the coloring of their skin, eyes and clothes. They seem to represent a conjunctional solitude and I like the medium in which the picture was taken. The second picture I think is iconic and due to its shocking effectiveness has almost become a clique in the photography world. I think the skin tone of the two children in gorgeous, coming across as a honey hue due to lighting. I enjoy the coloring of the clothing and as for the intention of the subjects, they are aware of what they are doing and most likely that it is wrong, but yet no one seems to care. This is not the only photo Mikhailov has of children smoking. The last photo I chose because it confused me. The background is a little washed out. The people jump off the page due to the lightness of their surroundings. I also like how attractive the children in the photo are. Poverty and homelessness aside, their happiness tells of an alternative reality where they are well fed and long hair grown out. The pose in itself is vulgar, but not for them, and it makes you wonder where they lived.

3) I really like this photographer due to importance he gives to something I thought was a no no in the photography world which is memory making. He documents the soviet world in a way that each photo belonging to the 400 set had a caption tag, with a little localizing footnote. He captures history and in doing so has helped write it. His intentionality trumps all artistic goal and I like how important that makes his photos. Lastly, I believe Mikhailov felt compelled, to the point of social obligation, to take pictures of these people, as he states "and I did not miss it. I did not ignore it" which demonstrates of his work.