Current Issue
Contemporary Russian art, history, philosophy, and photography are in the 01-02/2025 issue of Art Innovation. It starts with the article about Vladimir Neklyudov by Irina Chmyreva. The researcher focused on the easel works from the 1990s and 2000s interpreted as the artist’s reflections 'on time and on himself'. She investigated the images of doubles, puppets and mannequins, circus performers and the evolution of female imagery. Irina Chmyreva examined Vladimir Neklyudov’s works in the context of Soviet official and unofficial art. She paid special attention to their psychological component.
Natalia Druzhinkina studied the main stages of photography’s development in Russia, drew parallels between photography and painting, showed the common themes and iconography, and traced their stylistic and conceptual evolution. Also, the author explored the role and significance of photography as a valuable visual source in historical research and the teaching of Russian history in the 19th and 20th centuries. Natalia Druzhinkina demonstrated that photographs captured the most significant events in the country’s history and played a role in the formation of iconic figures and archetypal images that have become part of the national cultural memory.
Ida Shik analyzed the image dematerialization in Russian and international photography from the last third of the 20th and early 21st centuries. The author examined the works of Ralph Eugene Meatyard, Duane Michaels, Francesca Woodman, Rebecca Cairns, Sylvia Grav, Valerie Kabis, Tina Kazakhishvili, Alexey Titarenko, and Artemy Sokolov. The researcher interpreted the ghostliness which has been in photography since its invention as a means of representing and encountering the individual and collective ‘experiences of non-existence’, transcending one’s own boundaries, merging with space, and a kind of ‘death repetition’. The author stressed that using ghostly effects allowed photographers to enhance their images with greater aesthetic expressiveness and imbue them with psychological and philosophical connotations.
Madina Kemova explored photography as a medium for memory and loss. She focused on the photographic projects of contemporary photo artists Karolina Jonderko, Jennifer Loeber, Alicja Dobrucka, and Laia Abril. The author investigated the specifics of the photographers’ approaches to visualizing loss and their therapeutic potential. The article is an interdisciplinary study and draws on a range of authoritative philosophical, cultural, and psychological concepts. This demonstrated the richness of meaning in the projects and revealed the photographic medium’s capacity to serve as a means of documentation, experiencing and artistic reflection on grief.
The ‘Reviews’ section features a review of the scientific and practical conference ‘The Art of Photography: History and Modernity’, which took place at the Monrepos Park Museum-Reserve on 18–19 September 2025 and attracted museum professionals, university professors, and independent researchers.
The 'Portfolio' section includes works by members of the St. Petersburg-based group ‘Prosto Fotoclub’ dedicated to Monrepos, showing the unique park’s interpretation in contemporary photography. This section finishes with a series of works ‘Psychology of Nature’ by Moscow artist and photographer Aina Tayibova, inspired by the Major Arcana of the Tarot. She makes photographs of plants, imbued with symbolism, then duplicate and intricately processes them to reveal a wondrous world and offer the viewers a glimpse into their soul.
