PROVERBS by Gregori Maiofis

ロシア人フォトグラファー、グレゴリ・メオフィス(Gregori Maiofis)の作品集。古典的な芸術都市として洗練されたロシア西部に位置する都市、サンクトペテルブルクで育った作者は、芸術家や建築家の家系の出身であり、国籍や文化の境界を越えた関心や自身のバックグラウンドが作風に影響している。ロサンゼルスで語学力を磨きながら新しい芸術スタイルを短期間学んだのち、故郷のサンクトペテルブルクに戻ることとなる。この理由を作者は、「他の場所では出来ない芸術的な実践が、故郷サンクトペテルブルクでなら可能である」と語る。本書に収録されている作品は「普遍的な真理」に着目したシリーズであり、出版後も継続して取り組んでいる。巨大な熊から猿、犬、ライオン、そして直近の作品ではゾウにいたるまで、訓練されたサーカスの動物を多くイメージの中に取り入れており、人為的なものや文化的な情報が排除された設定で、視覚的な核心に触れる痛烈なイメージを作り出している。

Gregori Maiofis' work has been influenced by multinational and multicultural concerns as well as his own genetic history. He comes from a family of artists and architects, and he grew up in St. Petersburg, a sophisticated city that is considered the capital of classical museum style. After a brief stint in Los Angeles, during which time he learned new art forms and honed his English language skills, Maiofis returned to his native St. Petersburg, because, as he states, “I can do things here artistically that I couldn’t do anywhere else.

Proverbs is an ongoing series of photographs in which the artist focuses on universal truths. Using trained circus animals in many of his images – from a gargantuan brown bear to monkeys, dogs, lions and most recently, elephants – in settings absent of artifacts or other cultural information, Maiofis offers visually poignant, strike to the heart-of-the-matter images. (His latest work, Closed Mouth Catches No Flies, was an image that Maiofis had visualized very early on, but it wasn't until years later that he finally met a lion tamer who, as part of his performance, actually puts his head in the mouth of a lion.)

by Gregori Maiofis

REGULAR PRICE ¥12,650  (tax incl.)

hardcover
52 pages
362 x 285 mm
color, black and white
2017

published by NAZRAELI PRESS