Danila Tkachenko

Oasis (Commissioned by Qatar Museums: Qatar-Russia ’18 Culture Photographic Exchange). Premiered in Photo London 2019 by ALMANAQUE fotográfica. Middle East has an ancient human history… Qatar was populated in the 3rd millennium B.C. Since then, despite the desert environment, its population has farmed, harvested, fished and built. Like other areas of the world, over the past 30 years Qatar has enjoyed some of the fastest economic development rates from the entire history. New billionaires flourish in the sand dunes. The appearance of Middle East cities was been transformed rapidly, yet the rest is exactly the same as thousands of years ago. Infrastructure improved as did education with new modern roads and vast crystal skyscrapers with imposible architecture standing on the horizon as a mirage. Expensive cars, top services and state-of-the-art technologies. It seems that the new capitalist heaven does not imply physical labour for the Qataris, since workers were invited from abroad to perform physical labour. Qatari drink from their past traditions to create a new identity in a new era yet to be described. In the seek of a new promised land, what is now the promised land?

Oasis (Commissioned by Qatar Museums: Qatar-Russia ’18 Culture Photographic Exchange). Premiered in Photo London 2019 by ALMANAQUE fotográfica. Middle East has an ancient human history… Qatar was populated in the 3rd millennium B.C. Since then, despite the desert environment, its population has farmed, harvested, fished and built. Like other areas of the world, over the past 30 years Qatar has enjoyed some of the fastest economic development rates from the entire history. New billionaires flourish in the sand dunes. The appearance of Middle East cities was been transformed rapidly, yet the rest is exactly the same as thousands of years ago. Infrastructure improved as did education with new modern roads and vast crystal skyscrapers with imposible architecture standing on the horizon as a mirage. Expensive cars, top services and state-of-the-art technologies. It seems that the new capitalist heaven does not imply physical labour for the Qataris, since workers were invited from abroad to perform physical labour. Qatari drink from their past traditions to create a new identity in a new era yet to be described. In the seek of a new promised land, what is now the promised land?

Oasis (Commissioned by Qatar Museums: Qatar-Russia ’18 Culture Photographic Exchange). Premiered in Photo London 2019 by ALMANAQUE fotográfica. Middle East has an ancient human history… Qatar was populated in the 3rd millennium B.C. Since then, despite the desert environment, its population has farmed, harvested, fished and built. Like other areas of the world, over the past 30 years Qatar has enjoyed some of the fastest economic development rates from the entire history. New billionaires flourish in the sand dunes. The appearance of Middle East cities was been transformed rapidly, yet the rest is exactly the same as thousands of years ago. Infrastructure improved as did education with new modern roads and vast crystal skyscrapers with imposible architecture standing on the horizon as a mirage. Expensive cars, top services and state-of-the-art technologies. It seems that the new capitalist heaven does not imply physical labour for the Qataris, since workers were invited from abroad to perform physical labour. Qatari drink from their past traditions to create a new identity in a new era yet to be described. In the seek of a new promised land, what is now the promised land?

Oasis (Commissioned by Qatar Museums: Qatar-Russia ’18 Culture Photographic Exchange). Premiered in Photo London 2019 by ALMANAQUE fotográfica. Middle East has an ancient human history… Qatar was populated in the 3rd millennium B.C. Since then, despite the desert environment, its population has farmed, harvested, fished and built. Like other areas of the world, over the past 30 years Qatar has enjoyed some of the fastest economic development rates from the entire history. New billionaires flourish in the sand dunes. The appearance of Middle East cities was been transformed rapidly, yet the rest is exactly the same as thousands of years ago. Infrastructure improved as did education with new modern roads and vast crystal skyscrapers with imposible architecture standing on the horizon as a mirage. Expensive cars, top services and state-of-the-art technologies. It seems that the new capitalist heaven does not imply physical labour for the Qataris, since workers were invited from abroad to perform physical labour. Qatari drink from their past traditions to create a new identity in a new era yet to be described. In the seek of a new promised land, what is now the promised land?

Oasis (Commissioned by Qatar Museums: Qatar-Russia ’18 Culture Photographic Exchange). Premiered in Photo London 2019 by ALMANAQUE fotográfica. Middle East has an ancient human history… Qatar was populated in the 3rd millennium B.C. Since then, despite the desert environment, its population has farmed, harvested, fished and built. Like other areas of the world, over the past 30 years Qatar has enjoyed some of the fastest economic development rates from the entire history. New billionaires flourish in the sand dunes. The appearance of Middle East cities was been transformed rapidly, yet the rest is exactly the same as thousands of years ago. Infrastructure improved as did education with new modern roads and vast crystal skyscrapers with imposible architecture standing on the horizon as a mirage. Expensive cars, top services and state-of-the-art technologies. It seems that the new capitalist heaven does not imply physical labour for the Qataris, since workers were invited from abroad to perform physical labour. Qatari drink from their past traditions to create a new identity in a new era yet to be described. In the seek of a new promised land, what is now the promised land?

Oasis (Commissioned by Qatar Museums: Qatar-Russia ’18 Culture Photographic Exchange). Premiered in Photo London 2019 by ALMANAQUE fotográfica. Middle East has an ancient human history… Qatar was populated in the 3rd millennium B.C. Since then, despite the desert environment, its population has farmed, harvested, fished and built. Like other areas of the world, over the past 30 years Qatar has enjoyed some of the fastest economic development rates from the entire history. New billionaires flourish in the sand dunes. The appearance of Middle East cities was been transformed rapidly, yet the rest is exactly the same as thousands of years ago. Infrastructure improved as did education with new modern roads and vast crystal skyscrapers with imposible architecture standing on the horizon as a mirage. Expensive cars, top services and state-of-the-art technologies. It seems that the new capitalist heaven does not imply physical labour for the Qataris, since workers were invited from abroad to perform physical labour. Qatari drink from their past traditions to create a new identity in a new era yet to be described. In the seek of a new promised land, what is now the promised land?

(size plus photo frame) Since 1917 Russia’s rural population has contracted by more than 80%. The collectivisation of 1928-1937 was the first stage in the destruction of Russian villages. It was implemented to eradicate the historically established social order, and also to forcibly seize property and food from the peasant class for the state. Between 7 million and 8 million people died as a result of hunger and political repression, while over 2 million peasants were sent to the Gulag. By 1979 the number of villages had contracted by 60.2% (to 177,100). As a consequence of the centralisation and resettlement of the population, the logistics of harvests were disrupted, resulting in enormous losses in the agricultural sector, followed by rapid growth in food imports and an increase in social and political tension in the USSR. In modern Russia the trend of a contraction in the number of rural villages has continued. Over the past 20 years 23,000 villages have disappeared from the map of Russia, while small farmers are unable to compete with major corporations. According to the forecasts of some demographers, 96% of rural dwellers will live in cities by 2025. In other words, the rural population will disappear almost entirely. The project was filmed in territories located far from population centres and woodland. All manner of precautions were taken to prevent the spread of fire. The debris from constructed decorations were dismantled and taken away, while the used decrepit nonfunctional and destroyed structures were doomed to complete the process of physical disappearance within several years.

Since 1917 Russia’s rural population has contracted by more than 80%. The collectivisation of 1928-1937 was the first stage in the destruction of Russian villages. It was implemented to eradicate the historically established social order, and also to forcibly seize property and food from the peasant class for the state. Between 7 million and 8 million people died as a result of hunger and political repression, while over 2 million peasants were sent to the Gulag. By 1979 the number of villages had contracted by 60.2% (to 177,100). As a consequence of the centralisation and resettlement of the population, the logistics of harvests were disrupted, resulting in enormous losses in the agricultural sector, followed by rapid growth in food imports and an increase in social and political tension in the USSR. In modern Russia the trend of a contraction in the number of rural villages has continued. Over the past 20 years 23,000 villages have disappeared from the map of Russia, while small farmers are unable to compete with major corporations. According to the forecasts of some demographers, 96% of rural dwellers will live in cities by 2025. In other words, the rural population will disappear almost entirely. The project was filmed in territories located far from population centres and woodland. All manner of precautions were taken to prevent the spread of fire. The debris from constructed decorations were dismantled and taken away, while the used decrepit nonfunctional and destroyed structures were doomed to complete the process of physical disappearance within several years.

(size plus photo frame) Since 1917 Russia’s rural population has contracted by more than 80%. The collectivisation of 1928-1937 was the first stage in the destruction of Russian villages. It was implemented to eradicate the historically established social order, and also to forcibly seize property and food from the peasant class for the state. Between 7 million and 8 million people died as a result of hunger and political repression, while over 2 million peasants were sent to the Gulag. By 1979 the number of villages had contracted by 60.2% (to 177,100). As a consequence of the centralisation and resettlement of the population, the logistics of harvests were disrupted, resulting in enormous losses in the agricultural sector, followed by rapid growth in food imports and an increase in social and political tension in the USSR. In modern Russia the trend of a contraction in the number of rural villages has continued. Over the past 20 years 23,000 villages have disappeared from the map of Russia, while small farmers are unable to compete with major corporations. According to the forecasts of some demographers, 96% of rural dwellers will live in cities by 2025. In other words, the rural population will disappear almost entirely. The project was filmed in territories located far from population centres and woodland. All manner of precautions were taken to prevent the spread of fire. The debris from constructed decorations were dismantled and taken away, while the used decrepit nonfunctional and destroyed structures were doomed to complete the process of physical disappearance within several years.

(size plus photo frame) Since 1917 Russia’s rural population has contracted by more than 80%. The collectivisation of 1928-1937 was the first stage in the destruction of Russian villages. It was implemented to eradicate the historically established social order, and also to forcibly seize property and food from the peasant class for the state. Between 7 million and 8 million people died as a result of hunger and political repression, while over 2 million peasants were sent to the Gulag. By 1979 the number of villages had contracted by 60.2% (to 177,100). As a consequence of the centralisation and resettlement of the population, the logistics of harvests were disrupted, resulting in enormous losses in the agricultural sector, followed by rapid growth in food imports and an increase in social and political tension in the USSR. In modern Russia the trend of a contraction in the number of rural villages has continued. Over the past 20 years 23,000 villages have disappeared from the map of Russia, while small farmers are unable to compete with major corporations. According to the forecasts of some demographers, 96% of rural dwellers will live in cities by 2025. In other words, the rural population will disappear almost entirely. The project was filmed in territories located far from population centres and woodland. All manner of precautions were taken to prevent the spread of fire. The debris from constructed decorations were dismantled and taken away, while the used decrepit nonfunctional and destroyed structures were doomed to complete the process of physical disappearance within several years.

(size plus photo frame) Since 1917 Russia’s rural population has contracted by more than 80%. The collectivisation of 1928-1937 was the first stage in the destruction of Russian villages. It was implemented to eradicate the historically established social order, and also to forcibly seize property and food from the peasant class for the state. Between 7 million and 8 million people died as a result of hunger and political repression, while over 2 million peasants were sent to the Gulag. By 1979 the number of villages had contracted by 60.2% (to 177,100). As a consequence of the centralisation and resettlement of the population, the logistics of harvests were disrupted, resulting in enormous losses in the agricultural sector, followed by rapid growth in food imports and an increase in social and political tension in the USSR. In modern Russia the trend of a contraction in the number of rural villages has continued. Over the past 20 years 23,000 villages have disappeared from the map of Russia, while small farmers are unable to compete with major corporations. According to the forecasts of some demographers, 96% of rural dwellers will live in cities by 2025. In other words, the rural population will disappear almost entirely. The project was filmed in territories located far from population centres and woodland. All manner of precautions were taken to prevent the spread of fire. The debris from constructed decorations were dismantled and taken away, while the used decrepit nonfunctional and destroyed structures were doomed to complete the process of physical disappearance within several years.

(size plus photo frame) Since 1917 Russia’s rural population has contracted by more than 80%. The collectivisation of 1928-1937 was the first stage in the destruction of Russian villages. It was implemented to eradicate the historically established social order, and also to forcibly seize property and food from the peasant class for the state. Between 7 million and 8 million people died as a result of hunger and political repression, while over 2 million peasants were sent to the Gulag. By 1979 the number of villages had contracted by 60.2% (to 177,100). As a consequence of the centralisation and resettlement of the population, the logistics of harvests were disrupted, resulting in enormous losses in the agricultural sector, followed by rapid growth in food imports and an increase in social and political tension in the USSR. In modern Russia the trend of a contraction in the number of rural villages has continued. Over the past 20 years 23,000 villages have disappeared from the map of Russia, while small farmers are unable to compete with major corporations. According to the forecasts of some demographers, 96% of rural dwellers will live in cities by 2025. In other words, the rural population will disappear almost entirely. The project was filmed in territories located far from population centres and woodland. All manner of precautions were taken to prevent the spread of fire. The debris from constructed decorations were dismantled and taken away, while the used decrepit nonfunctional and destroyed structures were doomed to complete the process of physical disappearance within several years.

(size plus photo frame) Since 1917 Russia’s rural population has contracted by more than 80%. The collectivisation of 1928-1937 was the first stage in the destruction of Russian villages. It was implemented to eradicate the historically established social order, and also to forcibly seize property and food from the peasant class for the state. Between 7 million and 8 million people died as a result of hunger and political repression, while over 2 million peasants were sent to the Gulag. By 1979 the number of villages had contracted by 60.2% (to 177,100). As a consequence of the centralisation and resettlement of the population, the logistics of harvests were disrupted, resulting in enormous losses in the agricultural sector, followed by rapid growth in food imports and an increase in social and political tension in the USSR. In modern Russia the trend of a contraction in the number of rural villages has continued. Over the past 20 years 23,000 villages have disappeared from the map of Russia, while small farmers are unable to compete with major corporations. According to the forecasts of some demographers, 96% of rural dwellers will live in cities by 2025. In other words, the rural population will disappear almost entirely. The project was filmed in territories located far from population centres and woodland. All manner of precautions were taken to prevent the spread of fire. The debris from constructed decorations were dismantled and taken away, while the used decrepit nonfunctional and destroyed structures were doomed to complete the process of physical disappearance within several years.

(size plus photo frame) Since 1917 Russia’s rural population has contracted by more than 80%. The collectivisation of 1928-1937 was the first stage in the destruction of Russian villages. It was implemented to eradicate the historically established social order, and also to forcibly seize property and food from the peasant class for the state. Between 7 million and 8 million people died as a result of hunger and political repression, while over 2 million peasants were sent to the Gulag. By 1979 the number of villages had contracted by 60.2% (to 177,100). As a consequence of the centralisation and resettlement of the population, the logistics of harvests were disrupted, resulting in enormous losses in the agricultural sector, followed by rapid growth in food imports and an increase in social and political tension in the USSR. In modern Russia the trend of a contraction in the number of rural villages has continued. Over the past 20 years 23,000 villages have disappeared from the map of Russia, while small farmers are unable to compete with major corporations. According to the forecasts of some demographers, 96% of rural dwellers will live in cities by 2025. In other words, the rural population will disappear almost entirely. The project was filmed in territories located far from population centres and woodland. All manner of precautions were taken to prevent the spread of fire. The debris from constructed decorations were dismantled and taken away, while the used decrepit nonfunctional and destroyed structures were doomed to complete the process of physical disappearance within several years.

(size plus photo frame) Since 1917 Russia’s rural population has contracted by more than 80%. The collectivisation of 1928-1937 was the first stage in the destruction of Russian villages. It was implemented to eradicate the historically established social order, and also to forcibly seize property and food from the peasant class for the state. Between 7 million and 8 million people died as a result of hunger and political repression, while over 2 million peasants were sent to the Gulag. By 1979 the number of villages had contracted by 60.2% (to 177,100). As a consequence of the centralisation and resettlement of the population, the logistics of harvests were disrupted, resulting in enormous losses in the agricultural sector, followed by rapid growth in food imports and an increase in social and political tension in the USSR. In modern Russia the trend of a contraction in the number of rural villages has continued. Over the past 20 years 23,000 villages have disappeared from the map of Russia, while small farmers are unable to compete with major corporations. According to the forecasts of some demographers, 96% of rural dwellers will live in cities by 2025. In other words, the rural population will disappear almost entirely. The project was filmed in territories located far from population centres and woodland. All manner of precautions were taken to prevent the spread of fire. The debris from constructed decorations were dismantled and taken away, while the used decrepit nonfunctional and destroyed structures were doomed to complete the process of physical disappearance within several years.

The project Monuments (2017) researches the boundaries of historical memory, the area between fact and fiction. As in the case of political regimes in general, every single one of us is individually inclined to exploit images of the past to meet our current needs or future goals. We come up with new interpretations and build additional structures to manipulate images of past history. I erect on abandoned historical sites lightweight structures in abstract modernist shapes, transforming a historical ruin into a contemporary site and thereby imitating the position on history assumed by the powers that be. During the filming not a single site suffered. At the end of the work, all the decorations were dismantled.

The project Monuments (2017) researches the boundaries of historical memory, the area between fact and fiction. As in the case of political regimes in general, every single one of us is individually inclined to exploit images of the past to meet our current needs or future goals. We come up with new interpretations and build additional structures to manipulate images of past history. I erect on abandoned historical sites lightweight structures in abstract modernist shapes, transforming a historical ruin into a contemporary site and thereby imitating the position on history assumed by the powers that be. During the filming not a single site suffered. At the end of the work, all the decorations were dismantled.

2016. The world promised by the October Revolution had to be not only fair and prosperous, but to also colonise the outer space. Socialism should have been established not only in space, but also in time, aided by technology which would allow to turn time into eternity. But over time, the economical failures had also brought disillusionment about the political utopia and about the promised bright future. In Lost Horizon, Tkachenko shot objects, which represent the image of the ideal cosmic future. He chose the format 6×6, encapsulating the utopian state projects into the Suprematist form of his fellow compatriot artist founder of the Russian Avant-Garde Kasimir Malevich’s ‘The Black Square’ from 1917, which being a revolutionary art piece, reflects the historical epoch it was conceived in.

Lost Horizon (2016). The world promised by the October Revolution had to be not only fair and prosperous, but to also colonise the outer space. Socialism should have been established not only in space, but also in time, aided by technology which would allow to turn time into eternity. But over time, the economical failures had also brought disillusionment about the political utopia and about the promised bright future. In Lost Horizon, Tkachenko shot objects, which represent the image of the ideal cosmic future. He chose the format 6×6, encapsulating the utopian state projects into the Suprematist form of his fellow compatriot artist founder of the Russian Avant-Gard Kasimir Malevich’s ‘The Black Square’ from 1917, which being a revolutionary art piece, reflects the historical epoch it was conceived in.

Lost Horizon (2016). The world promised by the October Revolution had to be not only fair and prosperous, but to also colonise the outer space. Socialism should have been established not only in space, but also in time, aided by technology which would allow to turn time into eternity. But over time, the economical failures had also brought disillusionment about the political utopia and about the promised bright future. In Lost Horizon, Tkachenko shot objects, which represent the image of the ideal cosmic future. He chose the format 6×6, encapsulating the utopian state projects into the Suprematist form of his fellow compatriot artist founder of the Russian Avant-Gard Kasimir Malevich’s ‘The Black Square’ from 1917, which being a revolutionary art piece, reflects the historical epoch it was conceived in.

Lost Horizon (Horizonte perdido), 2016. El mundo prometido por la Revolución de octubre tendría que haber sido no solo justo y próspero, sino que debía haber trascendido el planeta para colonizar el espacio exterior. El régimen socialista debía haber sido establecido no solo en el espacio, sino en el tiempo, ayudado por la tecnología que habría permitido convertir un instante en eternidad. Sin embargo, precisamente con el paso del tiempo, las fallas económicas han traído toda suerte de desilusión sobre las utopías políticas y sobre la promesa de un futuro brillante. En Lost Horizon, Tkachenko captura objetos que representan la imagen de un futuro cósmico ideal perdido. Tkachenko eligió el formato 6x6, para encapsular el estado utópico de los proyectos futuristas en la forma suprematista propuesta por su connacional Kasimir Malevich’s, fundador de las Vanguardias rusas en su célebre ‘Cuadrado negro’ de 1917, que constituyendo una pieza revolucionaria del arte, refleja la época histórica en que fue concebido.

Lost Horizon (2016). The world promised by the October Revolution had to be not only fair and prosperous, but to also colonise the outer space. Socialism should have been established not only in space, but also in time, aided by technology which would allow to turn time into eternity. But over time, the economical failures had also brought disillusionment about the political utopia and about the promised bright future. In Lost Horizon, Tkachenko shot objects, which represent the image of the ideal cosmic future. He chose the format 6×6, encapsulating the utopian state projects into the Suprematist form of his fellow compatriot artist founder of the Russian Avant-Gard Kasimir Malevich’s ‘The Black Square’ from 1917, which being a revolutionary art piece, reflects the historical epoch it was conceived in.

Lost Horizon (2016). The world promised by the October Revolution had to be not only fair and prosperous, but to also colonise the outer space. Socialism should have been established not only in space, but also in time, aided by technology which would allow to turn time into eternity. But over time, the economical failures had also brought disillusionment about the political utopia and about the promised bright future. In Lost Horizon, Tkachenko shot objects, which represent the image of the ideal cosmic future. He chose the format 6×6, encapsulating the utopian state projects into the Suprematist form of his fellow compatriot artist founder of the Russian Avant-Gard Kasimir Malevich’s ‘The Black Square’ from 1917, which being a revolutionary art piece, reflects the historical epoch it was conceived in.

Restricted Areas (2015) is a series about the utopian strive of humans for technological progress. Better, higher, stronger… Always trying to own ever more this human desire is the source of technical progress including commodities and grandeur as well as the tools of violence that keep power over the other. “I travel in search of places which used to have great importance for the technical progress and are now deserted. Those places lost their significance together with its utopian ideology which is now obsolete. Secret cities that could not be found on maps, forgotten scientific triumphs and abandoned buildings of almost inhuman complexity. The perfect technocratic imagery of a future that never came.” For Restricted Areas, Tkachenko traveled the former countries part of the former USSR, in search of places that used to hold great importance for the idea of technological progress. These places are now deserted. They have lost their significance, along with their utopian ideology, which is now obsolete. “Any progress comes to an end sooner or later. It can happen due to different reasons: nuclear war, economic crisis or natural disasters. For me it is interesting to witness what is left after.”

Restricted Areas (2015) is a series about the utopian strive of humans for technological progress. Better, higher, stronger… Always trying to own ever more this human desire is the source of technical progress including commodities and grandeur as well as the tools of violence that keep power over the other. “I travel in search of places which used to have great importance for the technical progress and are now deserted. Those places lost their significance together with its utopian ideology which is now obsolete. Secret cities that could not be found on maps, forgotten scientific triumphs and abandoned buildings of almost inhuman complexity. The perfect technocratic imagery of a future that never came.” For Restricted Areas, Tkachenko traveled the former countries part of the former USSR, in search of places that used to hold great importance for the idea of technological progress. These places are now deserted. They have lost their significance, along with their utopian ideology, which is now obsolete. “Any progress comes to an end sooner or later. It can happen due to different reasons: nuclear war, economic crisis or natural disasters. For me it is interesting to witness what is left after.”

Restricted Areas (2015) is a series about the utopian strive of humans for technological progress. Better, higher, stronger… Always trying to own ever more this human desire is the source of technical progress including commodities and grandeur as well as the tools of violence that keep power over the other. “I travel in search of places which used to have great importance for the technical progress and are now deserted. Those places lost their significance together with its utopian ideology which is now obsolete. Secret cities that could not be found on maps, forgotten scientific triumphs and abandoned buildings of almost inhuman complexity. The perfect technocratic imagery of a future that never came.” For Restricted Areas, Tkachenko traveled the former countries part of the former USSR, in search of places that used to hold great importance for the idea of technological progress. These places are now deserted. They have lost their significance, along with their utopian ideology, which is now obsolete. “Any progress comes to an end sooner or later. It can happen due to different reasons: nuclear war, economic crisis or natural disasters. For me it is interesting to witness what is left after.”

The Last Resident (2014) is a study, referring to space exploration utopias and its social background narrating the phenomena of disappearing villages. In Russia, like in other countries, there are hundreds, even thousands of villages and small towns dying off. From 1993 to 2004, 23000 villages and towns were officially closed, while the population of cities is constantly growing. The project’s aesthetics was inspired by painting where light is used to illuminate the nocturnal scenery, such as by Russian landscape painter of Greek descent, Arkhip Kuindzhi.