Russian Pictures

The transition from socialism to capitalism in the last seventeen years has made Russia a member of the Global community. Economic changes have profoundly impacted upon the lives of the people: what they appreciate, what they value, all have changed. The goal of this project is to explore the visual evidence of a culture in transition. The photographic study focuses on aesthetics, iconographic resurgence and cultural transformation. Alterations in living space juxtapose ironies of advertising. Personal history is recontextualized by Russia’s collision with modern capitalism. Not only does East meet West in these photos, but Eastern and Western values clash, deconstruct, and reframe. In the photographic images, each “home”, each “personal” space, provides an opportunity for insight into cultural traditions, their persistence and their transformation. Each home reflects economic realism and mirrors emerging political values. In this way, “home” can be seen as a microcosm of the macro-changes in modern Russian culture. Russian Pictures is an ongoing project.