Andrey Bezukladnikov

Transparent time

Russian art is historically deformed by the opposition of elaborately aesthetic St. Petersburg and democratic Moscow. On the one hand, the languid irises of Russian art nouveau, sensitive decadent decor, new academy and new solemnity; on the other — the revolutionary black square, radical experiments, barricades and nailed palms. Over this fight for a place in history one can notice some lonely figures of aesthetic integrity, professing the truth in art as a form of Zeitgeist, of the spirit of the age, which hovers wherever it wants. Sergei Diagilev would be the first to name in that row. From him we can trace something which may not be a real tradition, but a dotted line of aesthetic sovereignty, which is clearly visible from afar and poorly — at close range. The latest dot in this line is Andrei Bezukladnikov.

How can we define what Andrei did? He is definitely influenced by the artistic goals of both Russian capitals, but even more — by the interior impulses of art itself. His aesthetic sovereignty is inspired by absolute openness, which can be compared with the transparency of a lens, aimed in our direction.

Transparent time began for him with a premonition of freedom in 1984, when love of freedom was punished by imprisonment. He selected a mission for himself — to document modernity. A selfless, but modest aim, if we think about it, for an artist, which resembles more an exercise in humility, than a lifetime project.

In the late 80s he was accepted in Europe. He had been creating an absolutely modern, in terms of international standards, photography; speaking from a closed country the same language as that of outstanding masters. He was indecently young for a legend of Russian photography.

Thousands of shots were made during the decade. A small part of his archive Andrei is showing at the exhibition Transparent Time. As we can see now it meant meticulous work with photographic language, investigating its borders and instruments of expression. In his documentary oeuvre one could always perceive an image and the potential to interpret the shot in a symbolical manner, i.e. the work of an artist, even when he was limited with simply choosing an event.

«Photography is a language which constantly changes», says Andrei. His photographic language is marked by faultless taste and stylistic integrity. He can fill the space of the frame with eloquent texture and stay minimalist at the same time. It is not time that speaks through his compositions, but the truth of time. This truth is the thought of an epoch about itself, and Andrei presents it in prints like the art of a mural or a book. Both distances are amicable towards a human being.

As history shows us, a living classic rarely obtains recognition in his homeland, particularly so in Russia. It is a pleasant fact that Andrei became an exception.

Aleksandr Yevangeli

Photographer, Laureate of the Prize «Young European Photographer’92’» (Strasbourg, France), founder of the Web-Design Studio ONEGIN (1994), Internet-Association and On-Line Gallery Photographer.ru (1999), Association Non Stop Photos (2000). Member of the Rapho Agency (1990), Agency Photographer.ru (2007). Published his works in magazines «Soviet Photo» (Moscow), «Theatre Life» (Moscow), «Camera Obscura» (Moscow), «Actuel» (France), «Imago» (Slovakia), «F fotografiks tidskrift» (Sweden), «Kwartalnik Fotografia» (Poland), «PhotoMediaArt» (Poland)

Solo Exhibitions:

1989 International Photography Festival. Arles, France

1994 «Beads», Yakut-Gallery, Moscow

2009 «Transparent Time», Perm State Gallery of Art, Perm

Group Exhibitions:

1987 «Representation», «Hermitage» Association. Moscow

1987 «Retrospective. Moscow Artists 1957–1987», «Hermitage» Association. Moscow

1988–1989 «An Insight into Contemporary Photography». Paris, London, Moscow

1989 «150 Years of Photography», Central Exhibition Hall «Manezh». Moscow

1990 «Looking East», Kunstmuseum. Arhus, Denmark

1990 «Award for Young European Photographers’90». Berlin 1991 Exposition of the First Gallery, «Art-Frankfurt». Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany

1991 «Fotoproekt: Zurich-Moscow», Galerie Forum, Zurich

1991 «Aesthetic Experiences», Kuskovo Museum, Moscow

1992 «Art-Myth’2», Central Exhibition Hall «Manezh», Moscow

1992 «Kunstkamera», «Art-Marketing» Gallery, Moscow

1992 «Experiences Photographiques Russes», Atrium de Grand Ecran, Paris

1993 «Art-Myth’3», Manezh, Moscow

1993 «Aidan» Gallery Exhibition, «Art-Hamburg». Hamburg, Germany

1993 «Magic and Mathematics», Al Ferro di Cavallo, Rome

1994 «The Art of Contemporary Photography: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus», Central House of Artists, Moscow. Catalogue

1994 «Europa’94». Munich, Germany

1994 «The Art of Dying», Yakut-Gallery, Moscow

1995 «Night over Asia», FOTO MASSAN. Goteborg, Sweden

1996 «Narcissus. Dupont», Yakut-Gallery together with the State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

1996 «New Acquisitions. Contemporary Russian Photography», Harry Ransom Center of Humanitarian Studies, Texas State University. Austin, USA

1998 Second International Month of Photography «Photobiennale’98», «Маnezh» Central Exhibition Hall, Moscow

1999 «Theatre Photography» (together with А. Каlmykov), Rome

1999 «The Other Russia», Days of Photography in Moscow, «Маnezh» Central Exhibition Hall, Moscow

1999 «Enlargement», «Маnezh» Gallery, Moscow

2000 «Moscow from Rodchenko to the Present Days», Моscow Museum of Contemporary Art

2002 «From the Collection of the Моscow Museum of Contemporary Art», Моscow Museum of Contemporary Art

2003 «Artconstruction», Моscow Museum of Contemporary Art

2004 «13 : 1», Моscow Museum of Contemporary Art

2005 «7 Years of Photographer.ru», Yakut-Galery, Moscow

Collections: Museum «Moscow House of Photography», Моscow Museum of Contemporary Art, Yakut-Gallery (Moscow), De Elise Museum of Photography (Lausanne, Switzerland), Museum of Photography (Arhus, Denmark), Harry Ransom Center of Humanitarian Studies, Texas State University (Austin, USA), Bibliotheque Nationale (Paris), Fine Arts Museum, New Mexico (Santa Fe, USA)