The portraits of the Anglo-Swedish photographer Anastasia Taylor-Lin offer a marked contrast to most of the dramatic images that have emerged from Independence Square in Kiev during the uprising in Ukraine earlier this year. Europe hadn’t witnessed a confrontation like this between citizens and the forces of order since perhaps the Cold War. The protests and battles left over a hundred dead and many more injured. Despite the marked faces and the determination of her subjects, Taylor-Lind’s photos convey a message of peace, brotherhood and meditation. This can be seen in the static and somewhat formal poses, the black backdrop of her makeshift studio, and above all in the various flowers these men and women hold in their arms, as a sign of respect for the dead, that also revealed a message against the violence that was tearing the country apart.
There, too, is the power of the portrait, almost in contrast to images from the press. The story here is not told through gestures or context, but in the faces of its opponents: sometimes sad, sometimes rebellious, often distressed and distressing. Naturally, nothing replaces the iconic image, where the meaningful scene reigns. And naturally, series of this type are trendy right now because they can be displayed on gallery walls and sold on an art market which long resisted photojournalism. Still, they offer a different point of view, a representation through a sampling of people rather than by an individual, a form of photography that is part testimony, part sociological study, like the work of Taryn Simon. MAIDAN: Portraits from the Black Square, might not be the most stunning series on the “Ukrainian revolution,” but these poignant photographs are sure to stir up emotions. And that’s what a photograph, regardless of genre, hopes to overcome: indifference.
EXHIBITION
MAIDAN: Portraits from the Black Square
Anastasia Taylor-Lind
Chez Anastasia Photo
Until July 10th, 2014
166 Orchard St,
New York, NY 10002
USA
T : (212) 677-9725
http://www.anastasia-photo.com
http://www.anastasiataylorlind.com
