Yuri Ovchinnikov
The Seasons

An exhibition of landscape photographs, even if taking place at a contemporary art museum, requires no lengthy curatorial statements: after all, the beauty of nature is self-evident. Whereas landscape painting can have conceptual or even religious undertones, landscape photography tends to be more on the contemplative side. One feels like simply enjoying it, silently dissolving in the snow-clad or sun-drenched scenery.

There is a popular notion that a communion with nature makes human beings happy. However, taking this straightforward route to happiness requires a certain skill – a profound sense of the environment and ability to become one with it. Indeed, it is far easier to feel like an integral part of the natural world than of a human community of any kind. Even though society, just like nature, contains an element of domination, nature lets us simply exist without requiring any sacrifices or imposing any views or choices. The only challenges one encounters here are piercing cold or, perhaps, the mosquitoes. Amusingly enough, as the great Goethe set out on lengthy walks to collect plant specimens and contemplate, he would often return severely bitten by ignoble gnats.

It is amazing that, right next to the tranquil and sublime northern landscapes captured by Yuri Ovchinnikov’s lens, he is leading the adventurous and adrenaline-fuelled life of a participant and organiser of various off-road competitions. This also goes to explain the photographer’s vast geographical outreach. Yuri’s decades-long image-making practice led to an important discovery: the most interesting things are usually taking place above eye level, up in the skies – that is why he makes a point of showing the viewer such evasive sights as the magnificence of the northern lights or the magic of a colourful full moon.