“The Body of Propaganda”

Artists: Sergey Melnitchenko, Sasha Kurmaz, Roman Pyatkovka, Mikhail Palinchak, Mila Teshaieva, Valeriy Miloserdov.

Curator: Kateryna Radchenko.

The exhibition “The Body of Propaganda” deals with the transformation of the cult of the body in the post-Soviet space, with a particular interest in Ukraine. In the discourse of a given historic epoch, body and corporality have always represented social and cultural processes taking place in a particular historic period. The history of body, or problematization of the categories of body, corporality, and sexuality, reflected major cultural, political, and economic trends. The history of body is the history of an epoch.

The body and the corporeal practices not only reflected certain sociocultural processes but also were often manipulated by political regimes, especially totalitarian ones. Thus, the idea of ​​a “new man” in Nazi Germany, which provided for healthy physical state of the citizens and the propaganda of physical education, as well as the propaganda of a healthy body in the USSR, were aimed to control the social body per se. The collapse of the Soviet Union gave rise to new trends – freedom of speech and expression resulted in the actualization of corporality in art, photography, and social spheres.

The focus of the research, presented in the exhibition, is to draw parallels between the 20^th and the 21^st centuries and to discover visual connections and influences. Collected visual materials include items such as archival photographs, vernacular photography from private family albums, propaganda materials, posters, and series created by six contemporary authors – Sergey Melnitchenko, Sasha Kurmaz, Roman Pyatkovka, Mikhail Palinchak, Mila Teshaieva, Valeriy Miloserdov – whose works will be on display at the museum.

Kateryna Radchenko, curator, photographer, photography researcher. Founder and director of the international festival Odesa Photo Days. As an author, she has published articles in several international magazines and online publications. Curated exhibition in Ukraine, South Korea, Sweden and Georgia. She also lectures and work-shops at various universities and photography schools.

On Friday, November 8, at 6 p.m. Latvian Museum of Photography invites you to the Artist Talk and the exhibition “The Body as Propaganda” viewing together with authors Sergey Melnitchenko, Mikhail Palinchak and curator Kateryna Radchenko.

WE WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS OUR GRATITUDE TO “CULTURE BRIDGES” AND “MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER” PROGRAMS IN UKRAINE, PHOTOS AND DESIGN AGENCY “PIECI EZERI”.