"Punctum". Exhibition of photography by Boris Sysoev

Very often punctum is a "detail",
i.e. partial object.
Therefore, to give examples of punctum
means to open your soul in some way
(c) Roland Barthes "Camera Lucida", 1980

Can the photographer mediate the fragile and fragile interaction between the person being filmed and the viewer? What role does the photographer try on when he detaches himself from the lens and becomes a spectator? Does the work of a photographer with his own reflection allow him to elude the usual role of the “operator” of the fixed reality and talk about the fundamental properties of photography? These and many other questions arise when viewing the exhibition of Boris Sysoev "Punctum". It is important to note that the photographer shoots carefully, sensitively and sincerely, peers into the portrait images and nature of a person through the prism of admiration and genuine interest.

It is not surprising that the important and somewhat mysterious theory of the "punctum" of the famous philosopher, literary critic and theorist of photography Roland Barthes was taken as the conceptual basis of the exhibition. The idea that there is some kind of “detail”, “prick” in photography, which allows breaking the vicious circle of familiar ideas about the seen plot, scene, person, clearly resonates with another phrase of Barthes “emotion as a starting point”, which appears, in a way, humanistic slogan of the exhibition.

The exposition of the exhibition includes more than fifty photographs of famous artists, art historians and art workers associated with the Russian Academy of Arts. Among them: Z.K. Tsereteli, V.Z.Tsereteli, K. Sakarello, O. A. Koshkin, T. T. Salakhov, A. A. Zolotov, B. A. Messerer, T. G. Nazarenko, P. F. Nikonov, K. V. Khudyakov, A. G. Akritas, A. V. Tsigal, O. M. Savostyuk, A. I. Rukavishnikov, A. N. Kovalchuk, A. N. Burganov, A. A Lyubavin and many others. Collective photographs from various events alternate here with individual photographs.

A separate part of the exposition is dedicated to the departed artists and art critics: D. D. Zhilinsky, E. I. Zverkov, L. V. Shepelev, S. M. Barkhin, M. M. Kirilko-Ryumin, I. V. Golitsyn, N. B. Nikogosyan, P. P. Ossovsky, M. A. Chegodaeva, K. V. Nechitailo, I. P. Obrosov and others. In the face of death, these photographs seem to have become relics of the past, highlighting the important role of Boris Sysoev’s private initiative to preserve memory and contribute to the social and institutional development of the memorial culture of the Russian Academy of Arts. An equally significant circumstance is the transfer of the photographs included in the exposition to the Academy fund. The exhibition is timed to coincide with this event.

In addition, the exhibition is complemented by an interview by Irina Daineko. In it, the photographer talks about his acquaintances and friendship with artists, about becoming in the profession, about the technological foundations of photography and its ability to preserve and spread the memory of people, their life and culture. Thus, photographs become a part of personal and professional biography, and portrait photography is transformed into something more, into a way of artistic vision. This existential attitude to photography brings Sysoev closer to the autobiographical "tonality" of Roland Barthes’ research.

Boris Grigorievich Sysoev (born 1950) is a professional photographer and journalist, an honorary member of the Russian Academy of Arts, a member of the Moscow Union of Artists.

Graduated from the Faculty of Photojournalism of the Institute of Journalistic Excellence under the Union of Journalists of the USSR. In his youth he collaborated with the State Tretyakov Gallery.

He worked in a number of all-union and all-Russian media. Author of photo reports and individual pictures for many newspapers and magazines, including such famous ones as "Ogonyok" and "Paris Match". For twelve years he was a photographer for the Easter Festival under the direction of Valery Gergiev.

Participated in the design of books, booklets and advertising publications of many artists, poets - I. Guberman, A. Livanov, P. Nikonov, A. Michri, I. Vikhansky, V. Maloletkov, A. Shmarinov, O. Vukolov, N. Nikogosyan and other authors.

An active participant in the capital’s exhibition projects: “75 years of MOSKh”, “80 years of MOSKh”, “Zurab Tsereteli. 24 hours ”,“ Vivat, Maestro! ”, Group exhibitions in the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, in the Small Manege, in the Museum-workshop of S. T. Konenkov, in the archive of the Russian Academy of Sciences, in the literary museum“ House of I. S. Ostroukhov in Trubniki ”, exhibitions in St. Petersburg, Tbilisi and other cities.

For the creation of a photo set of images of contemporary artists - members of the Russian Academy of Arts, he was awarded the Gold Medal of the Russian Academy of Arts, the Medal "For Services to the Academy" and other awards.

The material is based on an article by Alexander Salenkov.