Moscow 1988

Editor: This gelatin silver print, "Moscow," was created by Igor Moukhin in 1988. There's a certain rawness to it; the high contrast and close framing almost feel confrontational. What draws your eye to this piece? Curator: I'm immediately struck by the materiality of the photograph itself. Moukhin chose gelatin silver, a process readily available but also one capable of capturing incredible detail. Consider the context: 1988 Moscow. The means of photographic production, the paper, the chemicals, everything had a social weight. Did the artist develop these images in their own dark room? Was this access controlled or accessible? Editor: That's an interesting point. It’s easy to forget the limitations that existed then. How does the "Soviet Nonconformist Art" movement tie in here? Curator: Exactly. Nonconformist artists like Moukhin used readily available materials – photography was becoming increasingly democratic – to document and critique the world around them. It bypasses official channels. How might this portrait, and its potential circulation, act as a form of social currency within a dissident community? Consider too, the black and white medium - the limitations of color processes at the time but perhaps also a deliberate aesthetic choice in dialogue with traditions of social documentary. Editor: So, you are saying the limitations drove a particular aesthetic, becoming the point itself? Curator: Precisely! The starkness highlights the subjects, but also whispers about scarcity, access, and artistic agency within a restrictive system. The imperfections might reveal as much as the composed subject. Editor: I never considered the materials telling a story beyond just the image itself! It puts a completely new perspective on viewing this photograph. Curator: And hopefully opens up how we consider the circumstances under which all art comes into being.