The 96 originals of the SANKI-photos are presented at the exhibition of Valentin
Samarin. The Photographer tells, that “the term “SANKI” appeared in the 1970s in
Leningrad. This is the new-old silver (on the bromine-silver base) photo that was
invented 200 years ago. Every photo, every negative on the film, million kilometers
of the old films, beginning from the silent movies contains latent images”. Valentin
Samarin makes them visible for people.
Artist’s acquaintance with experimental ballet of L. Yakobson initiated his searching
for the adequate photographic means for transferring of the new plastic of the human
body. The interest for the dance, that appeared in Samarin’s creativity incarnated
in the visual line. The image began to deform, run, acquired the qualities of another
dimensions. The photographer declined the static and focused images, space and time
identity and invented the moving frame.
In 1981 Valentin Samarin as a political refugee moved to Paris. He lived the
active life of the Parisian underground and continued to take a photo of exhibitions,
parties and everyday life of the Russian artists, writers and painters. The Parisian
photos from the 1980s form the Big Dipper series, that was devoted to the signer,
writer and model N. Medvedeva, the “Theatre performances of A. Chvostenko” in the
Russian club “Symposion” and the others. In Paris, Marseilles, Antwerp, Mannheim
Samarin continues to take a photo of the performances and rehearsals of M. Bejart,
C. Carlson, P. Bausch, P. Tallard. V. Panov, B. Eifman and the others. His photographic
experiments in the portrait genre Valentin Samarin calls as the “metaportraits”.
Along with the theatre performances, exhibitions and actions, persons from the Leningrad
and Parisian underground, urban stories and portraits, Samarin shoots the artworks:
“I took a photo of the paintings to find the meta-signs. My photos are not the reproductions,
they reveal the upper layer of the image”.
The photos by Valentin Samarin were presented at the many personal and group
exhibitions in different countries and cities, including Russia.
