19 Portraits of Russian Masculinity From Seva Galkin

Seva Galkin plays with the rules.

Accompanying these selected photos from Galkin's new book, G-Male, is an intriguing introduction that explores Galkin's point of view as a man living in Russia, written by Valery Pecheykin.

The artist who wants to keep up with the time has three choices: being provocative, being an aesthete, or playing by the rules. But it is not necessary to choose only one way. Seva Galkin is provocative and aesthetic, but the most interesting part is his way of playing by the rules. His camera lens is a trap for rules. May a man be strong? Yes, he may - and should. Should not his strength be shown? It should, too. So, should not he undress for this? Well... Kind of... Yes. Maybe. So, the man appears naked. And not just literally - he undresses the rules he plays by.

Of course, Seva Galkin will burn in Hell for this, as well as this book edition. There will be a plate hanging on his neck with his sin written across it: "He used the rules against themselves". And there will be his models, boiling in oil, convicted of self-admiration. And all the others who didn't get this was a joke.

Love is not practiced in Russia. Love is considered as a sign of weakness here. But Galkin turns love into a strength. And his models are always strong and beautiful. A man learns to be strong and, most importantly, beautiful. He learns to open his mind for a different view. It's crucial, especially in our transparent world where everybody looks at everyone. After all, a photo artist doesn't create art for himself, he creates art for other people. There is only one reason someone would take pictures for himself: memories. Memories of being young and handsome. And also alive. But then it goes to another person - as an evidence of our existence after we are gone.

A photo published on Facebook becomes a document able to outlive us. Someday, the photos from this album will become a trace of our existence in this life. And all these naked men will be perceived as some kind of the ancient Greeks. Well, maybe as the ancient Greeks with bigger junks.

-- Valery Pecheykin

About Seva Galkin

Seva Galkin (1972, USSR) is a Moscow-based filmmaker, producer and photographer. He has directed two short films Three Times About It (2011) and Heart Disease (2014), which have been shown internationally. The Fans (2020) is his new movie, exploring the crisis of masculinity caused by Russian Section 28, banning positive representations of LGBTQ+ people among minors.

Seva Galkin works at the intersection of film, art, and photography. He is interested in the issues of identity, sexuality, and masculinity in post-independence Russia. In his first two movies, Seva explored social concerns, and in his new project he looks at the way in which Russian society has reacted to global challenges such as societal divisions, conservative ideologies, political disinformation, and so on.

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