A creative trial of photo artists took place in Sumy

author: Igor Kasyanenko

On Thursday, September 25, the AcademArt Gallery of Contemporary Art hosted a presentation of the exhibition Disappearing View. Disappearing species were presented by famous Sumy photographers – Alexander Ershov, Elena Almazova and Alexander Belyavsky.

136 Alexander Ershov, Elena Almazova and Alexander Belyavsky explored an endangered species

The event turned out to be crowded. Taking advantage of the opportunity, one of the masters of Russian photography, Eduard Stranadko, even visited it, during the opening ceremony of the exhibition he presented a certificate of a member of the National Union of Photo Artists of Ukraine to the head of the children’s photo studio “We” Lyubov Bespala.

The exhibition itself turned out to be an exciting creative duel, or, more precisely, a triel – the same, probably, if there are three participants in the duel? – three talented authors.

At first, in our opinion, Alexander Ershov pulled ahead, presenting exhibitions of his works for the fourth time in a year, which are correctly called not photographs or even collages, but art objects.

However, this time there were still collages. As we understood, the author depicted time on them. Moreover, the image of time is located just in the gap between the images of views on the cards (the author’s term) by Alexander Ershov. It must be said that the creative method of Alexander Ershov is also attractive because it allows the artist to tell stories, that is, to make his works talking. Unlike many creators of all genres, who demonstrate to the audience something incomprehensible and vague, passing off as landscapes and states of the author’s inner world, which the creator himself cannot unravel. This is an easy path, because such a mysterious nebula can easily be passed off as a metaphor. But Alexander Ershov follows a different path. He risks bringing clarity. And clarity is the most difficult path for an artist.

Then our interest was attracted by the monochrome photographs of Elena Almazova. Unlike her last solo exhibition in Sumy, this time, probably taking into account some extreme opinions, Elena was as closed as possible. In her photographs, now it’s not that the author is gone – even other people in her are more like ghosts than living beings.

Александр Ершов Елена Алмазова и Александр Белявский исследовали исчезающий вид Alexander Ershov, Elena Almazova and Alexander Belyavsky explored an endangered species

All the photos presented at the exposition were taken with the help of a special infrared filter, as we understand it, which helps to cut out some part of the spectrum and, thus, reveal the invisible. That is, something that exists, but we do not notice it.

Especially, in this sense, I was struck by a photograph with the sun similar to the crucified Christ. When you are at the exhibition, be sure to pay attention to it. In general, the pictures of Elena Almazova pleased us with the discovery of a miracle among the ordinary – probably the most important thing in artistic photography and what is the prerogative of this particular type of art.

Against the background of the two previous dreamers-experimenters, the realist Alexander Belyavsky looks simpler. However, his creative method, as we found out from conversations with visitors, has many fans. We advise future visitors to pay attention to the bum with an apple – a photograph by Alexander Belyavsky. The entire series of photographs of this author exhibited at the exhibition is paired portraits of people and their things (or hobbies).

Ershov’s time disappears, Almazova’s people disappear. At Belyavsky, things are added to them. What then remains? The audience has the right to answer this question.

As a conclusion, let’s say that there are winners in this trial. But for each visitor they are different. Therefore, we can conclude that the risky step with the provocation of the audience to compare the authors was a success. The works of different photo artists did not cross out, but on the contrary, they supported and emotionally and meaningfully strengthened each other.

Those who could not attend the opening can form their own opinion and compare it with ours by visiting the Disappearing Species exhibition, which is open in the main building of the Banking Academy (59, Petropavlovskaya St., ground floor) every day except weekends from 9.00 to 17.00. .00

As Rimma Milenkova, curator of the AcademArt gallery, explained to us, the exhibition is viewed independently. You inform the watch that you have come to the exhibition, then enter the hall, turn on the light and …