rus
  • . Valentina Milina . Valentina Milina
  • . Igor Gusev . Igor Gusev
  • . Tatiana Nikolskaya . Tatiana Nikolskaya
  • . Alexander Shakhmin . Alexander Shakhmin
  • Kolonada 2 Natalya Kalyagina Kolonada 2 Natalya Kalyagina
2 Apr - 7 Apr 2019

Sensum Urbicum - The Feeling of the City

A white cup... Which is home to coffee,
And smells captivatingly rough.
Drink your morning, my town dweller,
And let the day be merciful to you.
In ancient times, the city was the centre of advanced thoughts, ideas and
technologies. The best works of art were created in the urban environment. In our time,
there are well-established images that pop up with the word "city". For example, one of
them is a noisy bustling city life as the antonym of the quiet village one. First of all, the
Artists-photographers were offered to present works reflecting emotional states,
images, feelings and experiences from the urban environment. The exhibition presents
the works of five photographers. All the authors are different in style and technique. But
the lyrical mood of the photos remains unchanged. The works show the state of the
soul, which appears first in the stuffy cell of buildings, then in the "green caressing
haze" of free spaces. The bustle of city life and the wisdom of insights in the "green
glade" are very contrasting, but at the same time they're interconnected in the human
consciousness and represent the links of inner existence.
 
Curator Alena Pakhomova
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Valentina Milina

Valentina Milina

The member of the St. Petersburg Union of artists (IFA)
Since childhood Valentina's been fond of photography. But she got her degree at
the Leningrad Electrotechnical University, specializing in radio engineering.
She returned to photography in the early 2000s, when digital point-and-shoots
began to appear. Soon Valentina realized that some knowledge is needed in order to
take pictures that would reflect her perception of reality.
She passed 3 stages of the course "Fundamentals of photography" in the studio
"Klip", and studied in the Dm. Konradt's author's workshop, masterclasses
"Photopainting" and "ART photography" by Asya Nemchenok in the "St. Petersburg
photographic workshops". Then Valentina joined the "Photoclub PF", and participated in
collective exhibitions in the Central Exhibition Hall "Manege" in St. Petersburg, in the
centre of graphics, painting and design "START Academy", in The Creative Union of
Artists.
Works in the series presented at the exhibition were created under the influence
of constructivism in art and the works of the great Soviet photographer A. Rodchenko.
They are connected with the works of constructivism by means of the wish to
emphasize the geometry of the surrounding space, in which a person is inscribed as a
part of it. But at the same time, in the photographs by Valentina there is no aggression
and rigidity inherent in constructivism. Detachment and geometrization of models create
the mood of calmness and melancholy.
The graphics of Valentina's works makes it possible to express the impression of
objects with a minimum of figurativeness. All the diversity of life, its multicolour and
complexity are transferred using a single-colour image.
Igor Gusev

Igor Gusev

The member of the St. Petersburg Union of Artists (IFA).
The member Of The Union Of Artists Of Russia.
Igor got interested in photography at school. At the institute, he almost never
parted with the camera, trying to document the life around him. After graduating from St.
Petersburg Technical University and the Open University of Great Britain, he
temporarily traded the photography for family and work.
A serious return to photography occurred in 2007 — Igor accidentally found
himself in the fabulous preserved areas of the Russian North, and experienced an
irresistible desire to capture and show the marvelous beauty of these places. His works
were repeatedly published on the Internet resource "National Geographic Russia".
Additional creative education: the individual training course by Elena
Sukhoveeva, the individual training course by Victor Khmel; the individual training
course of alternative printing by Arthur Jonauskas.
In his works Igor uses alternative methods of printing, such as gum bichromate
one and phototype. He is attracted by the flexibility of the methodology and full control
of the imprint in all stages of the production process, as well as by high archival
preservation of the works.
The exhibition presents two of the author's favourite styles, these are colour
abstractions and monochrome urban landscapes. Abstraction is absolutely material, in
the sense that real photos of absolutely material objects from the surrounding space are
used in the creation of works.
"Electricity" series
Displaying the concept of "electricity" not only from the point of view of physics,
but as colour variations of the image of reality caused by the work of electrical impulses
of the nervous system.
The metaphor of a kaleidoscope. A small number of physical objects can create
an infinite number of visual meanings.
What is extremely important for the author is the images that are formed in the
viewer, the impressions, that replace each other with kaleidoscopic speed, when
clearness disappears, the transition points start to blur, without losing the clarity of
contrast.
In this series Igor conveys a feeling of incompleteness, infinity, arising from
emphasizing the elements of random. A photo is good only when it leaves a feeling of
randomness. The frame of the picture is only conditional boundaries. The content is
related to the meaning left behind the scenes. The composition tells us about something
out of boundaries – the physical being.
 
"Twilight" series.
In monochrome graphic works Igor depicts a dusky and mysterious reality.
Human existence in the urban environment is a mystery hidden in simplicity and
harmony. The plot endless in his studying; complex and attractive, beautiful and
enigmatic, and we see again an endless topic.
Tatiana Nikolskaya

Tatiana Nikolskaya

The member of the St. Petersburg Union of Artists (IFA).

Tatiana was born and still lives in St. Petersburg, was graduated from St.Petersburg State University.

She began to do photography like everyone else – in childhood. At some point

she realized that she had exhausted the capabilities of the point-and-shoot, and thought

about buying new equipment, and at the same time the necessity of training; thus there

occurred a transition to a new level of herself. Tatiana studied at the PhotoFaculty and

the Academy "Photographica", finished the author's courses of photography by Arthur

Jonauskas, Dmitry Konradt, Margarita Fedina.

She took up photography seriously in 2013; since 2016 she has taken part in art

exhibitions. Starting with digital photography, Tatiana moved to the development and

use of techniques of manual image printing, which permits you to create a complete

work of authorship, personally embodying it in the imprint, considering the process of

"birth" of the picture in the hands not less interesting than the moment of awareness of

the frame, successfully formed in the viewfinder.

Tatiana combines in her work the romantic ideal of the city with the classical

tradition of manual printing. Manual printing according to old recipes, with its laconism

and minimalism, allows the author to go beyond strictly documentary fixation of the

surrounding reality. Every imprint is unique and inimitable.

"Race with the sun" series

The theme of the city is the main one in Tatiana's works. The presented series

shows the pictures taken in a small provincial town. Although we can find out the name

of the town, it is rather a collective image. Tatiana draws inspiration from the world

around her. Emotions, feelings, thoughts, mood – everything plays a role.

A kind of subdued colouring, bright glare and intense light and shade add the

rapid internal dynamics to the author's compositions. Photos made in the technique of

the so-called by the author "chocolate printing", are literally filled with coffee and

cinnamon aroma of the warm sunny morning, the colour contrast of freshly brewed

coffee and soft, delicate milk foam, and hit you with the exquisite decorative forms,

immersing the viewer into the creative element of life.

In Tatyana's works the ability to catch elusive moments of life fixing them in

characteristic details is valuable. The ability to show the whole through the image of the

part, to express the essence of the idea.

Alexander Shakhmin

Alexander Shakhmin

The member of the St. Petersburg Union of Artists (IFA).
The member of the legendary People's Photoclub VDK
He became interested in photography from his school years, within the family
genre and reportage. The situation of isolation from the usual circle of socilisation during
long business trips to the United States, when the passion for photography emotionally
compensated for the lack of communication with friends, prompted to turn to creative art
photography. Around the same time, adequate digital cameras began to appear, greatly
expanding the possibilities of photographic self-expression. All this transformed the daily
life of the author, "got sick" with photo, in explosive way.
The search for like-minded people in creative photography led Alexander first to
the St. Petersburg photographic society, which in its heyday made it possible to get a
wealth of experience of working with models both in the studio and in the open air, and
then — to the legendary People's Photoclub of the WDC, and the Creative Union of
Artists of Russia (IFA), which greatly expanded his possibilities of exhibition activities
and raised the bar of the requirements for the level and quality of work.
Over the past decade of the active artistic photography the author had six
personal exhibitions and more than 30 collective ones, including participation in
exhibitions in different cities of Russia and abroad — Germany, Denmark, Sweden,
Latvia. Some works are taken in the collection of the Russian Museum, as well as in
galleries in Russia, and also in private collections.
Inspired by the awakened or developed sense of harmony and beauty, the author
looks for the sublime in the daily chaos of life, with delight and ecstasy shooting both
landscapes and still lifes, as well as portraits, and also doing with pleasure studio
staged photography, mainly art nude.
The use of artistic effects of post-processing of photos and collaging was
gradually replaced by the use of purely photographic effects, allowing you to get unique
photos without the use of photoshop.
The passion for manual methods of printing photos arose from the desire to
move away from digital printing to the uniqueness of each work, when from the same
negative you can get unique prints every time. In addition, manual printing allows
besides the actual photographic image to bring additional artistic meanings, which
significantly complement and enhance the emotional content of the photo.
Natalya Kalyagina

Natalya Kalyagina

Natalya was born and still lives in St. Petersburg, was graduated from St.
Petersburg State University, was fond of photography since childhood. She mastered
the basics of shooting and learned to print photos with her father.
When Natalya realized that the photographs can't capture what she wanted, she
went to study in photography school of E. Skibickaya (5,6), then to the courses by I.
Sakharov, PhotoFaculty n.a. Galperin, D. Conradt's workshop. Since 2015 has
participated in art exhibitions.
In her works she shows unexpected angles of familiar places, we can clearly see
the anxiety for minimalism and ornamentation. Special attention is paid to such an
element as rhythm. It creates a certain atmosphere of order and structure in both music
and photography.