Sunday, 27 November 2011

Alexey Titarenko

Whilst internet shopping and looking on Topshops' blog ( I love fashion) they had mentioned Alexey Titarenko. I was intrigued by the images he creates and decided to take a closer look.
All of his photographs show every day familiar scenes from streets, road side vendors, commuters etc from places such as Venice and St Petersburg.  When taking a photo he plays with time using a long exposure so that the final image appears distorted and the figures become quite ghostly looking, with many of them taking on a cloudy quality.


I find something slightly sinister about this shot. Im not sure I like how the seller is so dark and seems to be hiding in the shadows.


I find this image very cloudy and ghostly but I particularly like the sense of movement and hustle and bustle you get from it.

 

This shot to me seems so quiet in comparison and appears as though it has a sadness about it. It looks so deserted and there is quite a lonely quality about it.




The figures in this shot appear less ghostly, the picture seems to emphasise how we spend our time rushing through life.

I really like how each photograph shows the surroundings so still and clear but the movement of the figures shows them blurry with no facial features distinguishable, this in turn highlights the anonymity of being in a city.
Alexey Titarenko received his Master of Fine Arts degree from the Department of Cinematic and Photographic Art at Leningrad's Institute of Culture in 1983. He had begun photographing at the beginning of the 1970s, and in 1978 became a member of the well-known Leningrad photographic club Zerkalo, where he had his first solo exhibition (1978).

Titarenko has received many awards from countless institutions. He has taken part in many international festivals, biennales, and projects and has had more than 30 personal exhibitions, in both Europe and the United States. His works are in the collections of many major European and American museums.
Some of his major photo series include "Nomenklatura of Signs" (1986-1991), "City of Shadows" (1992-1994), "Black and White Magic of St. Petersburg" (1995-1997), and "Time Standing Still" (1998-1999).

I feel inspired to try out the technique Titarenko uses to see if I can create my own ghostly images and I look forward to seeing what I can achieve.







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