olechko

I’ve been scouting the net for some photos to illustrate my presentation with some contemporary art pictures, here are my favorites:

Ilya Isupov, pic from guelman.kiev.ua

Ilya Chichkan from www.blackandwhite.org.ua

Vasily Tsagolov, Bunny, image from www.guelman.kiev.ua

Yuri Solomko, Near East image from www.artfira.com

Alexandr Roytbud from www.proza.com.ua

Maksim Mamsikov, For New Years, from guelman.kiev.ua

The fabulously wealthy Pinchuk puts his money to a good cause bringing to us his pics from the last year’s top shows in London. The show called Reflections runs at Pinchuk Art Center till mid December. Everyone heard of Damian Hirst’s diamond scull sold for $100 mln - the highest priced work by living artist, Murakami’s psychedelic designs that made it on the Louis Vuitton bags. I recognized a few large-scale Gurskis that were on show at the White Cube several months ago. One of Anthony Gormley’s life-sized abstract self-portraits that decorated the Southbank yesterday is enjoying itself at the Bentley shop window - next to the gallery. There is the notorious Sam Taylor Wood, Jeff Coons, Mark Queen, and Richard Phillips. The few Ukrainian greats exhibited next the this get lost in comparison.

We particularly dug the white dove in formaldehyde by Hirst and Gormley’s glass room filled with fog. Apparently both of the artists were at the opening.

photos from tabloid.

This year’s KievFotoCom - an international festival of photography - opened with a show by Milla Jung’s show about Brazil.  There were all the big photograhers at the opening on Friday.  One thing missing - any mention in the press where the rest of the festival will take place during the following month.  If I get lucky, will add the info here later.

Along with the charitable concert, Elton “Serovich” John has brought his photography collection, for Pinchuk’s money of course, which is all for the better. The artists list is very impressive, Ryan Mcginley being my favoarite. His pictures gracing Vice magazine cover breathe with the same youth ease and beauty. The first day opening of the exhibit brought in the cool young but not yet famous (since the pre-opening happened the day before) crowd.

… is no more. An advantage of growing older - is getting to appreciate the good things in life that passed. For instance, basic daily bread - I remember sinking my teeth into a warm loaf, biting on the crusty, burned side, mmm. The trucks would deliver the bread to the stores still warm.  Way back then the bread came in bricks, less often - in round shapes, black or white. The dessert bread would be the baton.  Everything else was pastry.

These days the supermarket stalls are terribly disappointing.  They offer shrink-wrapped goods, or even worse - sliced! (I have nothing against my bread sliced, it just goes against logic that it is fresh at the same time). The good old bricks disappeared for some reason. More foreign options are offered - pumpernickel, baguette, olive bread - not in their best executions though.  At Furshet at Mandarin Plaza I was sold a totally stale loaf of Italian bread.  At local Silpo or Velyka Kyshenia (by Peremogy square) I don’t even look at the bakery stalls.

As a relief to town came Volkonsky backery. (it is also a relief for your vallet, becuase the prices are hiiiigh). Their breads are amazing, Italian and French varieties mostly, also tons of amazing pastry. They have a coffee shop adjourning with warm creamy interior.   Another runner up is Viennese Buns (Videnski Bulochky) on Pushkinska. Make sure to ask what is fresh at the moment; unlike at Volkonsky, they do sell some goods on the second day.

One point on an artist’s view of local bread. Gaydar -commercial studio photographer from Kyiv - recently came up with a series on the subject. His loafs came out of all kinds in different shapes and colors - suspended in black space. I searched for the images online but no more, seems like the only place you’d see them is at his studio on Prorizna. It’s no big spectacle, but give it a try. Also, it’s the only art gallery that charges entry fee that I know in Kyiv, sniff.

(The pic features my breakfast today.  This brick was super small and long, but full of nuts, plus banana-nutella, yam!)

Yesterday I visited the photo studio of Kyiv top advertisement photographer Aleksey Abramov. He boasts in his portfolio with tons of Ukrainian celebrities pictures and can make you look much more better in a photo then you really are :). Even though he has shown us the ins and outs of the classical studio portraiture, I would be much better of hiring him for the shoot. The mass of skill and equipment necessary is overwhelming.

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Viktor Ivanovych Maruschenko held a talk at RA gallery on the state of the modern photographic art as part of KievFotoCom festival events. His talk shed light on Ukrainian photographer’s career and the discontents of Ukrainian culture.He called photo technique and a dozen of tricks that makes photo work - a language - which was kind of cute.
Professional is one who earns money off photography, not necessarily trained in the craft. They always separate their art from their earning activities. Known authors always display a signature thing (Blue Dog). Ability to sell one’s art is important, as well as circulation in the crowd. Individual shows at the right places and articles in the art media help. Photographer has to have something to say. He has to have an individual point of view. Lots to shoot, lots to see and to know is the key thing to do. Technique, photo-vision and visual culture is the key thing to have. Successful photographers were either pioneers or revolutionaries of the craft.

Photography split up onto documentary and staged. Although documentary photos can be staged to some extent. The photographer these days is not more then the author of a concept. Presentation is just as important as the concept. Photos live within a concept of a project. This concept is more important then the image. Electronic media took over 40-60% of the Venice biennale exhibit items. Concept ideas are either self-sufficient or need additional information. A cut of social circles staring at the camera in its native interior is a common trend. General content of the art work shifted towards marginality away from the beauty, else called anti- aestetization. The artist engages viewers not visually but emotionally.

Only newspapers continue  using single shots. There single shots are either capture an interesting moment, presents with a contrast or complementation of subject to background or cover significant events. Moment, proximity to the subject, and an advantageous vantage point form which to shoot compare single-picture photography to hunting.
In portrait photography a rapport with a model is essential to creative intelligent pix.

The evils of good photo - formalization (perspective, experimentation with shot angle) and cliche’.

RA photo gallery holds most interesting and engaging shows I hear of in town… They also offer photography classes and master-classes with leading experts in the field.