the largest retrospective too date of boris Mihailov’s work, featuring over twenty of his most significant series, is currently on display in London. the exhibition,Ukrainian Diary,previously captivated audiences in Paris,Rome,Copenhagen,adn The Hague.
A Life Documented: Mihailov’s Unflinching Vision
For over fifty years, Boris Mihailov has fearlessly explored social and political themes through experimental photography, blending humor, provocation, and a poignant understanding of the human condition.
- Born in Kharkiv and now based in berlin, Mihailov is considered a legendary figure in documentary photography.
- His work frequently enough bridges documentary photography and conceptual art, incorporating elements of painting and performance.
- Mihailov gained international recognition in the 1990s with his starkly realistic depictions of post-Soviet life in ukraine.
- His photographs are held in major museums worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Tate Gallery.
Born in Kharkiv and currently living in Berlin, Boris mihailov is a towering figure in documentary photography and one of the most influential photo artists globally. As the 1960s, he has meticulously documented life in Ukraine, frequently enough challenging conventional norms and offering a critical perspective on Soviet and post-Soviet society.
The London exhibition showcases the breadth of Mihailov’s career, from his early underground works to self-deprecating erotic self-portraits that challenge conventional depictions of Soviet men, and his documentation of the events at Maidan in Kyiv. A self-taught artist, Mihailov is considered the leading representative of the Kharkiv school of photography. His work is part of the collections of the Metropolitan museum of Art in New York, the Museum of Modern Art MoMA, the Amsterdam Museum Urban, the Ludwig Museum in Cologne, the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich, the Albertina Museum in Vienna, the Center Pompidou in Paris, the Tate Gallery in London, and the Victoria and Albert Museum. He has also represented Ukraine at the Venice Art Biennale.
What is the Kharkiv school of photography known for? The Kharkiv school of photography, of which mihailov is a key figure, is recognized for its experimental and frequently enough subversive approach to documentary photography, especially its focus on everyday life and social issues in Ukraine.
Mihailov’s contributions have been widely recognized with prestigious awards, including the Hasselblad in 2000 and the Citigroup Photography Prize (now Deutsche Börse Photography Prize) in 2001.
Last year, Mihailov presented a solo exhibition at the marian Goodman gallery in New York. Simultaneously, an aspiring double exhibition featuring his work alongside that of German photographer Wolfgang Tillmans was held in his hometown of Kharkiv. This year, his work and that of other Kharkiv school photographers will be featured in the exhibition Ukrainian dreamers, opening on April 23 at the Radvila Palace Art Museum in Vilnius.
Information: thephotographersgallery.org.uk
