Artwork description:

We were shooting in a room of a communal apartment in the centre of St. Petersburg. The collection is inspired by the aesthetics of the film Trainspotting, an iconic British drug film. This movie is important to me because my brother was addicted to heroin. I wanted to rethink this time. In Russia, the peak occurred in the 90s, the collapse of the Soviet Union, a new country, the war in Chechnya, the wide opening of the drug market from Afghanistan and the Middle East. There was no aesthetics in Russia, only mud, poverty, cruelty and dullness. And at that time, for the first time I saw the film Trainspotting and a completely different world filled with everyday comfort, bright colours, protest, the characters were beautiful and romantic. The slogan “Choose Life” from the UK anti-drug advertising campaign was very ironic for me. The characters of the film talked about what kind of life you can choose among hopelessness and predictability. I asked the same question, amid the dullness, uncertainty of the future of the new Russia and the utter hopelessness of a provincial town. We copied the colours of the film and the mood. Low availability of opportunities to improve your life in combination with the energy of youth. “Heroin chic, cocaine shine" is the slogan of this shoot. In the picture, I displayed modern objects, a laptop, a mobile phone, electric extension cords, light from LED lamps and their manifestation varies depending on the importance. The more important a thing is, the more ephemeral it looks. The heroine of the picture has only eyes painted, because the eyes are a mirror of the soul and they are closed. With the help of drugs, a person goes into the world of illusions and does not see what surrounds it. Therefore, if the girl's eyes are closed, it is more pleasant to live in the world of illusions. The smiley face on the T-shirt is a symbol of the era of acid raves. It is a sign of subculture, a sign of distinction, a sign of freedom.

Materials used:

digital

Tags: