RUSSIA TODAY
ongoing
A project that appeared under the influence of the war in Ukraine. The photographer examines the Russian reality, comparing it with state propaganda. It is no coincidence that the name was chosen – it is a literal repetition of the name of the main mouthpiece of propaganda: the media holding Russia Today. The objects of photography are not literal scenes, but rather metaphors designed to ironize certain motives of propaganda and the life of modern Russia.
The first frame of this series was "Rainbow in the military enlistment office". This motive, of course, refers primarily to the promotion of "traditional family values" that do not recognize LGBT+, considering this "movement" to be the influence of the corrupting West. Propaganda drives into the heads of citizens that LGBT+ pervert our children, and in order for "our guys" not to look like "their cocks", you need to serve in the army, be masculine and never cry. Naturally, the army does not treat homosexuality, and there are also gays among the military, but hardly any of them will ever admit it. So, this rainbow in the photo is behind the iron bars of the lattice.
The series also plays out the motive of general surveillance by the FSB – this is not propaganda, but objective reality. It's no secret that social networks are monitored by a special department created in the FSB to track dissenters. The barbed wire motif on the one hand shows that private life is also under control, and on the other hand hints at the fragility of our life – at any moment a person can be imprisoned for nothing.
One of the "chords" of the series was a photo of a stripped Pepsi inscription next to a collapsed tree and garbage. This frame plays out the withdrawal of Western companies from the Russian market. Those who remained are now side by side with ruin and ragamuffins.