Moscow Photobiennial was held for the second time. Analyzing post factum the Russian part of the giant project I can’t but admit that excess devotion to conception has negatively affected the quality of product made by Russian photo artists. Literature overlords the visual message, which makes comparison between modern ways of photography in the East and in the West almost politically incorrect. There are certain evident circumstances, though they’ve been at the time of Rodchenko, and probably they’ll always be. I have no intention to throw away national addiction to literature and concept, but the work becomes interesting only when the content and the form balance in harmony.

Photobiennial-98 brings me to think of the ways of contemporary photography, and until now uncertain are these ways. Evgeny Nesterov happens to be a happy exclusion of the general context. His photography shows that the form is adequate to the content, or, to be precise, the visual is equal to the conceptual. One might archly appeal to his international experience, but I think the answer lies skindeep. The artist, besides thinking of what is to be said, needs to refine professional skills to be able to say it in a distinct way. Then the seemingly vacant glance at the facial surface would tell more than any theoretical speculations about some other reality.