Alexandra Soldatova, Bus Stops
from the Everything Must Be Beautiful series, 2012–2013
Everything Must Be Beautiful
The new cycle of images, according to the artist herself, shows common landscapes. It is not, however, photographic journalism that presents contemporary Belarus. A certain unsettling cleanliness is striking in these photographs. Ordered, symmetrical composition, fresh colours. Filtered reality. Alexandra Soldatova photographs landscapes after the rain.
The road from Orsha to Gorki. Flowers painted on bus stops, as if on porcelain teacups. Lilacs, narcissuses, marsh marigolds reflected in wet asphalt. In 2012, Gorki was selected as the capital of Dozhynki (Harvest Festival), the most important Belarusian state holiday. Becoming the Dozhynki capital is like winning the bid to host the Euro Championship or the Olympics. What a country. Even stones have designs painted on them, like Easter eggs.
On New Year’s, the streets of Minsk become colourful. People, bears, Santa Claus figures, and rabbits come out, and one can take a picture with them. All this festivity does not reflect the spontaneous ideas of the capital’s inhabitants, but rather the top-down actions organized by the New Year or Dozhynki Commisar.
A clean, festive, colorful country. Aleksandra does not show these photographs in Minsk because they are not beautiful enough. And photography, art-just like Belarus-must be beautiful.
Alexandra Soldatova (born 1983, Minsk, Belarus)
Currently working in documentary and conceptual photography. Her main field of interest is daily life and social questions in Belarus. She has a master’s degree in mathematics. Her most important exhibitions were Photographs (2006), Feminine Vision of the Reality (2008) and Space Structure (2013). Lives in Minsk, Belarus.
Everything Must Be Beautiful
Curator: Cecylia Malik
Muzeum InĹźynierii Miejskiej, ul. Ĺw. WawrzyĹca 15
Vernissage: 17.05.2013, 17:00
Open: 18.05–31.05; TUE–SUN 10:00–16:00,
01.06–16.06; TUE,THU 10:00–18:00 WED, FRI–SUN 10:00–16:00
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