Russian photographer Valery Katsuba began exploring the aesthetics of acrobatics and gymnastics in a series entitled Phiscultura. Inspired by photographs taken in the gymnasiums of St. Petersburg in 1901 that he discovered in the state archives, he recreated the style of the era to demonstrate the similarities between now and then.
“I naively imagined that fitness centers and gymnasiums were a phenomena of our own time,” Katsuba said. “It was the same back then. People thought you should have a good body. I wanted to know about them… so beautiful and inspired about the future. I was trying to understand the things that do not change with time.”
His latest exhibition continues this theme, but his focus has moved from the gymnasium to the circus. Russia has a famous tradition of acrobatics, though it received a bad image due to the general shadow of negativity cast against all institutions of the former Soviet state. Katsuba’s new photographs are a reminder of the artistry and beauty within those programs of strict physical practice.
The new series, Air Flight. Body Shock, focuses on the art of tissu or silks, in which the acrobat climbs two strands of hanging fabric and twists into complicated knots, poses and falls. In most circus performances, tissu is presented as either too feminine and pretty, or too raw and athletic. Katsuba manages to find a balance between these elements in his presentation of the sport/art.
Particularly stunning is the 1977 video he unearthed from the Russian television archives showing a choreographed performance on the corde lisse.
A public exhibition of Air Flight. Body Shock is open now until December 24 at New York’s Sputnik Gallery, which focuses on contemporary Russian photography.
