Kharkiv School of Photography (1970s onwards)

Journal about Photography 5.6 - n.7 May 2012 cover (detail)

Working on the Kharkiv School of Photography exhibition (1970s to Present) for Autumn 2014.

Kharkiv School of Photography: Roman Pyatkovka

«Ghosts of the 30s (1989) are the portraits of those people who suffered from the repressions conducted by Stalin and the 'Hunger' of 1932-1933. These are the faces of people who look at us from those terrific times. Some of the faces are the paraphrase of the typical portraits in ‘hero-style’ from the honours board of the totalitarism, the others look like already yellowish photos from the family iconostasis hanging on the wall of the village house.»

Kharkiv School of Photography: Vladimir Starko

© Vladimir Starko, Untitled, 1986

«While Kharkiv photographers were experimenting with montages, overlays and hand-colouring thus changing the look of traditional photographic images, Vladimir Starko (b. 1956) chose to work exceptionally with b/w film and even consciously refused to crop his images. He printed them full-frame or not at all.»

© Vladimir Starko, Untitled, 1986

© Vladimir Starko, Flock, 1983

© Vladimir Starko, Prostrated, 1983

Kharkiv School of Photography: Yevgeny Pavlov

© Yevgeny Pavlov, Love' series, 1976

«Yevgeny Pavlov (b. 1949) started his engagement in photography in late 1960's. He was one of the founders of the Vremya Group in 1971. His b/w The Violin series (1972) depicting a happening of young nude male hippies was published in Fotografia magazine in Poland in 1973, which was considered an ideological diversion by the KGB.»

© Yevgeny Pavlov, Love' series, 1976

© Yevgeny Pavlov, Love' series, 1976

© Yevgeny Pavlov, Love' series, 1976

© Yevgeny Pavlov, Love' series, 1976

© Yevgeny Pavlov, Love' series, 1976

Kharkiv School of Photography: Kochetovs

© 1988, Kochetovs

«Victor (b. 1947) and Sergey (b. 1972) Kochetovs are father and son who sign there work jointly no matter which of them took the photo or when it was taken.»

© 1983, Kochetovs

© 1982, Kochetovs

© 1977, Kochetovs

Kharkiv School of Photography: Oleg Malyovany

© Oleg Malyovany, Youths, 1973

«Oleg Malyovany (b. 1945) engaged in art photography since late 1960's and was among the founders of the VREMYA Group in early 1970's. Unlike most of his groupmates, whose photography was involved in social issues, he sought surrealistic and romantic imagery. Malyovany's photos were highly appreciated among Kharkiv artistic bohema. In 1970's and 80's he was the only photographer in the city who privately sold his artwork – something unheard of in the Soviet Union.»

© Oleg Malyovany, The Blue Bird of 2000, 1971

© Oleg Malyovany, The Day of Red Fish, 1975

© Oleg Malyovany, Dance, 1980