An exhibition of Alexander Gronsky's works is being held until October 25th at the YUKA TSURUNO GALLERY in Shinonome TOLOT, Tokyo.
The landscapes of a certain region of Russia are expressed in large-format prints that look like paintings.
Gronsky is a photographer who has attracted international attention for his work focusing on the contemporary Russian landscape. After working as a photojournalist, he began shooting personal documentaries in 2008, and currently produces works that explore the relationship between the surrounding environment and local residents.
This exhibition features 10 works selected from three of his representative series: "Less than one," "The edge," and "pastral."
"Less than one" is a series that focuses on the Russian frontier, where the population density is less than one person per square kilometer. Gronsky says, "I wanted to show the emptiness and fictional aspects of the Russian landscape. I chose this title as an appropriate word to evoke a sense of isolation and desolation. People don't live there because they want to; they live there out of necessity (due to the environment, including mines and coal mines). The significance lies not in the location, but in the visibility of the border between the areas where people live and the natural world."
The series "The Edge," which focuses on urban boundaries, particularly captures winter landscapes, especially snowy scenes, in and around Moscow. In suburban areas, where many Soviet-era apartment blocks are found, urban planning necessitates the creation of open spaces between housing complexes, which serve as places of relaxation even during the winter. In these public spaces, Gronsky captures people enjoying private activities such as snow sledding, skiing, and swimming in pools. "By increasing the exposure and photographing the snow so that the white stands out, the surrounding landscape elements appear cut out," he says, giving careful consideration to how the images are given a graphical quality.
Digging deeper into the details, Gronsky's work is characterized by the way that "borders"—between suburbia and city, public and private spaces, infrastructure and nature—appear hidden within a single photograph.
Gronsky's recent series, "Pastoral," is a work inspired by his interest in how humans use natural landscapes in the area between Moscow and the countryside. He conceived the idea while shooting "The Edge," and waited until spring to begin photographing. The works feature places that have inevitably become part of urban life. The choices are intriguing, such as a path between trees that serves as a shortcut between stations, a construction site that has become a playground, and a picnic close to train tracks. "I'm not trying to show a specific place or what people are doing; it's important that all of these things are happening simultaneously," he says.
Large-format printing allows the details to be seen. By repeatedly looking at the whole and the details, the landscape gradually begins to make sense. "I don't want to criticize the social phenomena occurring in Russia or Moscow, or comment on the good and bad of things, but I take photographs with the hope of conveying the current state of the world, not just Russia or Moscow," said Gronski.
A photo book of the same title, "Less than one," has also been published by TYCOON BOOKS, a publishing label run by Taro Serigawa and Yosuke Watanabe. A book signing took place after Gronski's talk show on October 4th, and a joint reception was also held on the same day with the gallery, as well as the Thomas Ruff "photograms" exhibition (Gallery Koyanagi) and the Vivienne Sassen "LEXICON" exhibition (G/P Gallery).
