영원한 제국, 소비에트 연방의 시대유물로 남겨진 건축은 당시를 회상하는 소중한 자료이상, 당시의 사회상을 반영한 거대한 기념비로 자리한다. 당시 특수한 시대상; 막 시작된 사회주의와 러시아 구성주의, 아방가르드 미술양식의 결합은 막 회화에서 뛰쳐나온 적나라한 선과 원형의 다듬어 지지 않은 공간과 볼륨을 생성한다. 이는 실험적인 작가정신과 선동적인 정치적 성향의 결합으로 거대한 기념비들을 차례대로 만들어 나간다. 이것은 이상주의자들이 꿈꾸웠던 유토피아였으며, 이 유토피아 건설을 통해 그들은 모든 인간들이 평등하고 행복한 세상을 만나길 갈망하였다. 하지만 당신이 알고 있는 것처럼 -사회주의 모순처럼 급격히 무너져 버린 사회주의- 이제는 더이상 유토피아가 아닌 버려진 남겨진 시대의 유물로 자리할 뿐이다.
reviewed by SJ,오사
In documenting a unique phenomenon, the German photographer Frank Herfort has journeyed to the most remote areas of the former Soviet Union.
After the
collapse of the regime, a strangely pompous architectural style sprung
up throughout the new republic. It conflates the aesthetics of
monumental Soviet architecture with the Western language of form seen in
the twentieth century.
“After exploring Moscow’s structures I realised, that in all cities and former Soviet countries you can find such buildings,” says Herfort. “So, I travelled to Vladivostok, to Blagoveshchensk on the Chinese border on River Amur, to Astana in Kazakhstan, to Baku in Azerbaijan, to Sochi and to St Petersburg. And everywhere in between.
I was always impressed by these huge constructions while driving through Moscow. Moscow doesn’t have a big skyline or big houses in the cityscape, and then I was even more impressed when suddenly there appeared one of these big new coloured buildings. They are standing like single flowers cropped in the landscape.
The strange thing is that these buildings are also used to manipulate the humans and try to make them feel small. I never had the idea, that these buildings are constructed and designed for people. If you go inside or around, you see that there are no infrastructure, no pavements, no real access.
The first building I shot was the Aliye Parusa Tower in Moscow, because I was really impressed with the combination of Soviet elements and decors, which were also used in all of the Stalin-era buildings.”
Herfort’s series “Imperial Pomp: Post-Soviet High-Rise” was published in 2013 by the Kerber Verlag.
Frank Herfort’s photographs are personal invitations to explore self-contained worlds that startle with rich detail and vibrant color. Based in both Berlin and Moscow, Frank has made exploring the contrasts and contradictions of life in contemporary Russia a central focus of his artistic work, photographing whether the austere, crumbling remains of Soviet society or the opulent homes of modern Russian oligarchs.
from domusweb
from communistarchitecture