Olga Kravets, Maria Morina, Alexander Sedelnikov, Victor Yuliev, Oksana Yushko
versoimages.com
Verso, founded 2009, is a Russian collective of the five emerging documentary photographers, concentrated on making stories on social changes.
GROZNY: NINE CITIES (2009 – present)
Authors: Maria Morina, Olga Kravets, Oksana Yushko
Grozny, the capital of war-torn Chechnya, is a melting pot for changing Сaucasus society that is trying to overcome a post-trauma shock of two recent wars and find its own way of life in between traditional Сhechen values, Muslim traditions, and globalization, to cope with rapidly changing role of women, increasing contrast between rich and poor and political games.
Our project Grozny, Nine Cities is inspired by a Thornton Wilder book, Theophilus North, and centers on the idea of nine cities being hidden in one, which gives us a concept to explore specific aspects of the aftermath of two Chechen wars considering them as ”cities” hidden within Grozny.
SLEEPERS (2009-2010)
Author: Victor Yuliev
Sleeping process is the most mystic and still not completely explored process in the human body. In spite of the fact that scientists can’t come to an agreement of the nature and characteristics of sleeping, it turns out to be even more important need of a human being, than food and water.
And a permanent shortage of a sleep can cause different diseases, such as memory damage, unclear speech, hallucinations, paranoia, decrease of mental activities and others. Most of those impairments are seen among homeless people, who don’t have a permanent place to stay over and have not a healthy sleep.
Pictures are taken in the army tent, which is placed for lodging for the night for homeless people by charitable organization Nochlezhka.
SEE YOU LATER (2009-2011)
Author: Alexander Sedelnikov
In 2011 Alexander Sedelnikov finished the book called “See You Later”, result of his three-years research in Saint-Petersburg and the South Urals. The clash of past and present is very important for the modern Russia as the country is living on the shivers of the past. The book shows the story of people who struggle and display fortitude despite what is happening around them.
Now Sedelnikov has started his new project “Chain” trying to continue his research – he has started investigating the archives, histories of these people in order to explore and to understand how they lived, to catch and to imprint those who are still alive. He finds it extremely important for the modern Russia to investigate the problems of individual and collective memory disappearance and the lack of present.
GROHMAN’S VILLA
Tylna 9/11
opening hours
10.05 (Thu): 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
11.05–20.05 (Mon-Sun): 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
latest entrance: 7.00 p.m.
opening: 10.05, 6 p.m.
exhibition will be held: 10–20.05
