From Russia With Love | Lise Sarfati

Among the gallery shows opening this week, Lise Sarfati stands out with her collection of photographs taken while she lived in Russia during the period from 1991 to 2000. She chooses as her setting the many deteriorating buildings and old-world architecture that characterized the years preceding and including the Soviet era and juxtaposes this with portraits of young gay men - a movement that emerged to greater visibility in the post Soviet era after homosexuality was decriminalized in 1993. Her beautiful handling of color (somewhat reminiscent of Michal Chelbin, although more muted) and choice of setting is consistent throughout much of her work. She has published several beautiful monographs and has been included in Magnum’s volume on women in photography. The exhibition Rough, Cold, and Close: A Russian Poem is on display at the Yossi Milo Gallery through Dec. 6th.

Lise Sarfati’s NSFW work also popped up earlier this year (March) in the French magazine, Tetu, featuring several porn stars posing in similarly bleak, yet beautiful settings. NSFW AFTER THE JUMP.