Artist Vera Barkalova became known as a promising young artist in 2018 as a result of two exhibitions with Ekaterina Kovalenko, Young and Unbroken (Space Pavilion, Moscow) and Fading Beauty (as part of the Young Lions program at Triumph Gallery).
Barkalova systematically uses the portrait as the basis of her artistic projects. Her process is based on the fundamentals of documentary photography—an interest in the subject’s social context, attention to the historical landscape of their life, and working close-up. Barkalova creates photo series that are often structured as photo zines where the «subject» comprises various types of photographs that combine to make an integral and three-dimensional story. At Garage Studios she is researching several themes: the body as a subject, methods of embedding into closed, marginalized communities, and the taboo on displaying corporeality. For the meeting at Garage, Barkalova will invite participants to examine her own projects and those by other artists. She will also explore why the portrait has become more relevant for her today, how the artist observes generational types, and how to manifest care for models. Such verbal practice is no less important for Barkalova than her photographic work, since she believes that conversation «builds bridges for the comprehension of the present moment, ” allowing the artist to «get a sense of the audience» and observe «how people are thinking now». With this kind of focus any viewer can become a subject.
