Anastasia Khoroshilova: ‘The Obedient’
The Impronte Gallery, who has recently changed its name in Laura Bulian Gallery, is pleased to present an exhibition by Anastasia Khoroshilova, the Russian photo-artist’s second solo show in Italy. Following her exhibition Russkie, hosted at our gallery in 2009, and her participation in the project Stare Novosti, 2011 at the 54th Venice Biennale, Anastasia Khoroshilova returns to our spaces with a photo exhibition entitled The Obedient. The exhibition includes the entire photo cycle The Obedient, 2008 and a selection from Trees, 2009.
Anastasia Khoroshilova’s work should be viewed within the context of social anthropology; the artist has always focused on the daily and contemporary reality of individuals living in closed and isolated societies, uniqueness as part of a group. She opens a channel of communication whereby the observer can establish contact with the subjects of her photography. “I’m interested in finding the point where global social space intersects with collective systems that are typical of isolated communities, where the absence of external stimuli contributes to the definition of stereotyped roles. Every external testimony unmasks the psychological schemes within the community’s approved relations and reveals the details that differentiate each individual” Anastasia Khoroshilova, 2008.
The subjects chosen for the cycle The Obedient are nuns living in a convent, portrayed in black and white photographs as they go about their daily lives. It is a document and investigation into the voluntary adoption of the rules of monastic life, an attempt at opening a dialogue with the viewer. The Obedient calls for dialogue without ostentation, the extent and depth of which will depend on the observer’s broad-mindedness and ability to understand and appreciate the “obedience” of monastic life.
The simplicity and unaffected quality of female monastic obedience and its specific harmony are the ground on which I have formulated the idea and concept of my cycle “The Obedient”. Suddenly, it seemed to me that, the sisters’ sincere diligence and solemn gentleness defined and unified them much more than their daily prayers and the duties of monastic orders. Each individual displayed something that was more ”general and lofty”.
Anastasia Khoroshilova, 2008.
On the other hand, a biological project lies behind the photo cycle Trees, 2009. The tree is a primary symbol of visual culture that stands out for its binary meanings: life and death, heaven and earth. These meanings do not dissolve over time, on the contrary, they are transformed regardless of temporal and cultural contexts. Anastasia asked students from the school for “People with Limited Physical Resources” (this is the official name in Russia) to interpret and physically impersonate the authentic roots of humanity on the streets of a major city (Moscow). The resulting scenarios were in perfect harmony and equilibrium with the surrounding context.
Exhibition @ Laura Bulian Gallery, Milan / 1.3.2012 - 21.4.2012
© All copyright remains with photographer Anastasia Khoroshilova