Uncharted Shores. Photography of the Post-Soviet Interim
The exhibition “Uncharted Shores. Photography of the Post-Soviet Interim” was held at the National Gallery of Armenia, organised by the Experiment Online Gallery in collaboration with the Center for Documentary Photography 4Plus.
The project aims to reflect on some of those shifts that have fostered the conflicts in Ukraine, Armenia and other parts of the ex-Soviet Union. Curators Victoria Musvik and Vigen Galstyan.
I am very honored to be present with such great artists as Fyodor Telkov, Alexander Gronsky, Anastasia Tsayder, Maxim Sher.
Photo © Natalya Reznik “Virtual Acquaintances”, 2008.
New Book Release
Very glad that several of my pictures (from the projects “Hope” and “Needful things”) are included into the book by Thomas Werner “Business of Fine Art Photography“.
Thomas Werner is the former owner of Thomas Werner Gallery in Manhattan’s Chelsea Art District; author of The Fashion Image; past Photography Program Director at Parsons School of Design in New York; Editor at Large for IRK Magazine; and an exhibiting artist, currently curating, lecturing, and consulting internationally.
The book is available at Amazon.
“The Old World” at “IDENTITIES” photo festival
3X4=ORAIN photo book exhibition in Museum San Telmo
Music, film and literature in the photo book: Exhibition in San-Sebastian, Spain, Museum San Telmo. I am very happy to be included in the show with my photo book „Looking for my father“.
Understanding cinema as the observation of an event inserted in the flow of time allows us to understand the key influence of this discipline in the way of conceiving and interpreting a photobook. Following this logic, the photographs become cinematographic shots that are sequenced to be visualised in time and space.
The construction of the sequence of photographs in these books pays special attention to rhythm and is very close to musical structure, in which logical interpretation is not as important as the play of the emotions conveyed. In the photobook, the images are edited based on aspects such as colour, tone or form to build a unitary work that, like music, must be interpreted. The action of turning the pages thus builds the rhythm of each work at the very moment of being contemplated. Each photobook acquires a duration, a particular meaning in the hands of each reader, turning each reading into a personal and unique journey.
The photographs that make up the sequence of the book are ordered with a single intention: to build a narrative to be interpreted. This succession of images often makes use of literary forms, such as ellipses or metaphors, to relate complex facts through an open visual rhetoric which is subject to multiple readings.
Curator Jon Cazenave, books from the collection of Gabriela Cendoya-Bergareche are on display till 30.10.2022
The Lonka Project in Berlin
27.01 was International Holocaust Remembrance Day. On the occasion of the commemoration day of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp by Red Army soldiers on 27 January 1945, Willy-Brandt-Haus (Berlin) presents this year virtually “The Lonka Project” – a photographic homage to the last Holocaust survivors. 300 of the world’s leading photographers (among them Roger Ballen and Steve McCurry) have photographed Holocaust survivors around the world and created a unique exhibition. The project has been organised by Rina Castelnuovo. I am glad to be a part of this important exhibition with my portrait of Asya Levit (Nuremberg)!
Asya Levit (Yasya Rothenberg)
“Rothenberg Yasya Jakovna, born 1936 in Slavuta, Ukraine. Jew, school pupil. Executed by fashists 27.06.42. Buried in a mass grave in the town Slavuta, Khmelnytskyi district”.
There is such a record in the Book of Sorrow, Ukraine. That day in a town Slavuta happened the bloody massacre, thousands of Jews were executed. The local Jews and those from the towns near-by were rounded up to the square of ghetto to be shot.
“All members of my family, including my 8 y.o. brother, have been shot and their bodies were dumped in a ditch. According to the order of the fascist officer not to waste the ammunition, the jewish children were dumped into a mass grave alive”. 6 years old Yasya Rothenberg has been dumped in a ditch as well, but by some miracle she managed to escape and survive. She was saved by guerrillas and transferred to Yaroslavl (Russia) into an orphanage. She has no memory about this tragic day. She discovered all these facts many years later coming to her hometown Slavuta to get more information about her roots.
Asya Levit (Rothenberg) emigrated to Germany with her husband a long time ago. After death of her spouse she lives in Nuremberg city, sings in the choir of local Synagogue which performs concerts in different countries.
Based on materials of the newspaper “Jewish News” (Ukraine) No. 7 (418) 2009, and according to the narrated story of Asya Rothenberg.
From now on here.
Reverse Portfolio Walk at German Photographic Academy
31.10.2020 German Photographic Academy (Deutsche Fotografische Akademie, DFA) organised our REVERSE PORTFOLIO REVIEW with the DFA member, photographer Anastasia Khoroshilova.
We both come from Russia, we work with similar topics like elderly people and memory, but we never ever met…
Thank you for the organisation of this online talk, DFA and Boris Eldagsen!
The video is available on the FB page of DFA.
"The Old World" is shortlisted for Vonovia award
I am happy to be nominated for one of the most prestigious Germany’s photo awards Vonovia Award für Fotografie for my project “The Old World”. All the shortlisted candidates will take part with their projects in 3 exhibitions – in Hannover and Bochum (Germany) and in Austrian capital city Vienna.
The first exhibition in Städtische Galerie KUBUS, Hannover, will open already 5.12.2020.
Stay up to date!
"The Old World" selected by German Photographic Academy
I am happy to be one of the six finalists of the 3rd Online Portfolio Walk of German Photographic Academy: Alina Simmelbauer, Hannes Jung, Jörg Gläscher, Natalya Reznik, Sima Cz, Uwe Krella. My project “The Old World” about beauty in old age has been selected by the jury. One of the portraits from this series is also selected for the announcement of the next round of the photo walk. Enjoy discovering the great selection at this link.
Member of the jury Ingo Taubhorn about the project “The Old World”:
“With her portraits, which are reminiscent of classic poses of Italian painting and could perhaps be called a half-portrait of an elegant lady, Reznik creates an incredible intensity that blurs the balance between closeness and distance. She describes her motivation to photograph this series of portraits as follows: “I’m trying to imagine what our society could look like in 30 or 50 years?” We all know that older people rarely appear in our media landscape and when, in terms of old age poverty or Illness. Not so with Reznik. She celebrates with light, color, pose and detail, elegant women who do not hide their traces of an eventful life story and celebrate their present life with grace and pride. “This project wants to look for a new kind of beauty for the future,” says Reznik. She succeeded brilliantly, thanks to her empathy and clever use of photo technology and thanks to these strong women.”
I took part in The Lonka Project
I was honoured to be invited as a documentary photographer to take part in the Lonka Project organised by Rina Castelnuovo among 250 world documentary photographers. Each of us should find and photograph one Holocaust survivor. I found the lady in Nuremberg, Germany, living in a very small flat, alone.
Asya Levit (Yasya Rothenberg)
“Rothenberg Yasya Jakovna, born 1936 in Slavuta, Ukraine. Jew, school pupil. Executed by fashists 27.06.42. Buried in a mass grave in the town Slavuta, Khmelnytskyi district”.
There is such a record in the Book of Sorrow, Ukraine. That day in a town Slavuta happened the bloody massacre, thousands of Jews were executed. The local Jews and those from the towns near-by were rounded up to the square of ghetto to be shot.
“All members of my family, including my 8 y.o. brother, have been shot and their bodies were dumped in a ditch. According to the order of the fascist officer not to waste the ammunition, the jewish children were dumped into a mass grave alive”. 6 years old Yasya Rothenberg has been dumped in a ditch as well, but by some miracle she managed to escape and survive. She was saved by guerrillas and transferred to Yaroslavl (Russia) into an orphanage. She has no memory about this tragic day. She discovered all these facts many years later coming to her hometown Slavuta to get more information about her roots.
Asya Levit (Rothenberg) emigrated to Germany with her husband a long time ago. After death of her spouse she lives in Nuremberg city, sings in the choir of local Synagogue which performs concerts in different countries.
Based on materials of the newspaper “Jewish News” (Ukraine) No. 7 (418) 2009, and according to the narrated story of Asya Rothenberg.
Photos and text by Natalya Reznik www.natalyareznik.com.
The Lonka Project has been inaugurated on January 27, 2020 at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Photobook Secrets is published / Фотокнига Секреты опубликована
Dear friends!
I am proud to announce that my photo book “Secrets” is published!
Photo book “Secrets“
Natalya Reznik
72 pages, 24×30 cm (9,4 x 11,8 inches)
50 numbered and signed copies, self-published.
Digital print, thread stitched hardcover with dust jacket
8 holes in the book + 1 in the dust jacket. Diameter 78 cm
(для русской версии прокрутите вниз)
About the book
“Secrets – such was the name of a very popular children’s game in the USSR. Mostly 5-8 year old girls were involved in this game. It was not just a game, but rather a mystic ritual. I used to love this game and so did my friends. The game would be as follows. Each person dug a small hole in the ground and filled it with personal «treasures» (such as old or broken fashion accessories belonging to our mothers, candy wrappers, small flowers, parts of toys and other «garbage», which we appreciated very much). We then overlaid the cache with a piece of broken glass and covered it with earth. We each had our own Secret, which was of grave importance — only best friends knew the locations of each other’s Secrets”, tells the author of the project.
“Natalya Reznik, artist and art historian, is herself from the clan of recently departed. She turns to women who left Russia in the past two decades as if creating a new womens’ club for free émigrés. She carefully builds up links inside the newly formed community, tests the waters in search for common ground, common memories, common… What else can these wom- en have in common apart from their gender? In this cautious manner — as if treading on thin ice — she constructs a shared field of communication with those who left. One finds support in memories of childhood games that used to be the same for all in this generation across Russia — from the Urals to Murmansk, from Leningrad to Stavropol. Natalya Reznik repeats with these now grown-up girls the game of “Secrets” [Sekretiki,] meaning Treasures, and finds common reminiscences” (Irina Chmyreva, art-historian).
Price: 50 Euro for early orders until 31. December 2014 and 60 Euro after that. Available here.
The presentation of the book took place 12. 12.2014 in “25 Books” (Berlin).
Дорогие друзья!
Я рада сообщить, что моя первая фотокнига “Секреты” опубликована!
Фотокнига “Секреты“
Наталья Резник
72 страницы, 24×30 см
50 подписанных и пронумерованных экземлпяров
Цифровая печать, твердый переплет, суперобложка.
8 отверстий в книге +1 в суперобложке (диаметр 78 мм).
О книге
“Секретики — так называлась популярная в советское время детская игра в СССР. В основном, в нее играли девочки 5-8 лет. Для нас была не просто игра, а, скорее, мистический ритуал. Я очень любила играть в эту игру, когда была маленькой. Каждая из нас делала свой собственный секрет — маленькую ямку в земле, прятала туда свои «сокровища» (сломанное мамино украшение, фантики от конфет, маленькие цветочки, части игрушек и другой «мусор», который казался тогда настоящим сокровищем). Мы накрывали «секрет» бутылочным осколком и «хоронили» в земле. Это был важнейший секрет и никто не должен был знать, где он находится. Его можно было показать только лучшей подружке” – рассказывает автор фотокниги.
“Наталья Резник, художник и искусствовед, сама из клана недавно уехавших. Она обращается к женщинам, покинувшим Россию в последние два десятилетия. Как будто создает новый женский клуб вольных эмигрантов. Мудро строит внутри нового сообщества отношения, прощупывает почву в поисках общих тем, общих воспоминаний, общего… Что общего, кроме гендера, у женщин, уехавших из России? На этом осторожном, как движение по льду, пути восстановления общего поля общения с уехавшими приходят на помощь воспоминания об общих играх, что в одном поколении были у всех — от Урала до Мурманска и Камчатки, от Ленинграда до Ставрополя. Резник уже с взрослыми девочками повторяет их девичьи игры с секретиками, находя общие воспоминания” (из вступительного текста к книге искусствоведа Ирины Чмыревой).
Цена 50 евро до 31 декабря, после этого – 60 евро. Заказать можно на сайте книжного магазина 25 Books (Берлин), есть доставка в Россию и другие страны. Презентация фотокниги состоялась в магазине авторских фотокниг 25 Books в Берлине 12 декабря 2014 г.