Artist Review 4: Aleksander Gronsky

Significance: Not much new in Gronsky's style, though he manages to show an old subject in a new way. The overall image of the vague category Eastern Europe has been pretty consistent in West European and US art and culture. Without the intention of generalizing I feel that this person's work exhibited as art in the west shows how the East is perceived so often. However, if such images were taken somewhere in the west and of western (homeless) people they would be condemned as exploitative and humiliating. Thus culture as general has been acting as a divide rather as a bridge. I am very glad to see works as Simon Roberts' photo essay on Russia and the vision of an insider as Gronsky. They are neither glorifying or demonizing, putting more emphasis on the people and their environments rather than stereotypes.
The sophisticated visual language and engaging topics are what make Gronsky's work good.

Biography: Born in 1980 in Tallinn, Estonia. In 1998 began working as a professional photographer. In 2005 joined Photographer.ru agency. Awards: 2010 Foam Paul Huf Award 2009 Critical Mass Top 50 2009 Aperture Portfolio Prize winner 2009 Linhof Young Photographer Award 1st place 2008 Kandinsky Prize finalist, Moscow 2004 Finalist for the Ian Parry Award, UK 
2003 Participant of the Joop Swart Masterclass, Netherlands
 2000-2003 Press Photo Russia contest, five 1st place awards total

Quotes:
1) Gronsky is at work on a handful of ongoing projects that are connected by esthetic questions he has been exploring in different ways for the past five years. His series of photographs made on the outskirts of Moscow, "The Edge," sprung from an interest in the idea of boundaries both literal and abstract. Conor Risch, PDN http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/content_display/esearch/e3i873a43a2fac7042694197925ccef4510

2) Photographing areas of Moscow that are neither entirely urban nor rural, Alexander Gronsky reveals the ambiguous spaces in which city dwellers relax and find solace in nature. These are certainly not idyllic settings; the edge of the city looms in the background with its faint skyline and construction cranes, leaving the viewer ever aware that these natural settings exist within yet a vaster urban context. Both the man-made and wild spaces look quite abstract—not inhospitable, as much as unknowable and vast. http://www.aperture.org/apertureprize/2009-1.php

Works:




Review: http://www.aperture.org/apertureprize/2009-1.php

Representation: http://gallery.photographer.ru/

Web site: http://www.alexandergronsky.com/