The M2 Gallery presents a new exhibition by photographer Andrey Belkov. In his new project, the author continues his photographic exploration of the city’s infrastructure. His focus is on metro stations and the technical objects associated with them, which usually remain out of our sight, ventilation kiosks and air ducts. Using form and color, achieving the effect of uncertainty in the depicted objects, the photographer finds a special aesthetic in these everyday structures, changing the viewer’s attitude to the urban environment.
The «Out of Sight» exhibition presents two new photographic series, which Andrey has conditionally divided into «aboveground» and «underground.» Nocturne II: Forms & Colors, i.e. shots of objects taken near and in the Moscow Metro vestibules, and the «underground» Out of Sight — architectural shots that capture the interiors of recently opened stations. The shooting took place on the Big Circle Line. Out of Sight conveys the geometric rhythms and modern industrial aesthetics of the BCL design. The photographs in this series are distinguished by their graphic quality and laconic composition. Andrey photographs the passages and vestibules of stations when there are no people around, as a result of the pictures they become almost unrecognizable, turning into peaceful spaces in which there is no place for noise and fuss.
In his new works, Andrey Belkov shows that the world around us can be perceived as a series of works of art. Moving away from figurativeness, the photographer conveys the expressiveness of the depicted. The horizontal and vertical lines of the platforms (Sretensky Boulevard, Vorontsovskaya, Aviamotornaya), the geometry of mirrored walkways (Rizhskaya), the smooth semicircular contours of interior fragments (Maryina Roshcha), the combination of muted, delicate halftones (Lefortovo) and bright colors (Kosino, Vorontsovskaya) give the photo the form of an abstract painting.
In the photographs of the Nocturne II: Forms & Colors series, the subjects of the shooting are technical structures associated with the operation of metro stations (Klenovy Boulevard, Michurinsky Prospekt, Salaryevo, Aminyevskaya, Maryina Roshcha and Dmitry Donskoy Boulevard) are depicted close-up and occupy a significant part of the frame. With the help of the play of light on a dark background, the picturesque texture of such familiar objects as a metro train or a ventilation kiosk is revealed.
The project «Out of Sight» invites the viewer to see the familiar urban infrastructure in a new way. Metro stations in Andrey Belkov’s photographs turn into ideal spaces, and the technical objects built into them, surrounding us every day, turn into magical abstractions.
Curator Anastasia Korotkova
