MV72
Marc VERRIERE
http://www.gregorsailer.com/The-Potemkin-Village
The concept of the “Potemkin Village” can be traced back to Prince Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin, a Russian field marshal and favorite of Empress Catherine the Great. Anxious to spare her the grim face of the recently annexed Crimea when she toured it in 1787, he allegedly ordered to create entire “villages” consisting of nothing more than gaily painted façades to be erected all along her route. The curious architectural phenomena in the haunting images shown here, Gregor Sailer’s latest project after Closed Cities, are focused on political, military, and economic features: field exercise centers in the USA and Europe, the allure of European city replicas in China, and urban vehicle testing tracks in Sweden. Not surprisingly, the country of the term’s origin, Russia, still fakes whole streets in disguise when high-ranking political celebrities are visiting from abroad. Sailer’s images provide access to the world of fakes, copies, and artificial fronts. By exposing them to the eye of the beholder, he puts the value of these often absurd aberrations of today’s society to an acid test.
The concept of the “Potemkin Village” can be traced back to Prince Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin, a Russian field marshal and favorite of Empress Catherine the Great. Anxious to spare her the grim face of the recently annexed Crimea when she toured it in 1787, he allegedly ordered to create entire “villages” consisting of nothing more than gaily painted façades to be erected all along her route. The curious architectural phenomena in the haunting images shown here, Gregor Sailer’s latest project after Closed Cities, are focused on political, military, and economic features: field exercise centers in the USA and Europe, the allure of European city replicas in China, and urban vehicle testing tracks in Sweden. Not surprisingly, the country of the term’s origin, Russia, still fakes whole streets in disguise when high-ranking political celebrities are visiting from abroad. Sailer’s images provide access to the world of fakes, copies, and artificial fronts. By exposing them to the eye of the beholder, he puts the value of these often absurd aberrations of today’s society to an acid test.
Ko.Fe.
Lenses 35/21 Gears 46/20
I left Russia due to no freedom of speech for mass media. But it is total BS written about Russia. Person who wrote all of this is brain washed by those who spread hate and left propaganda in the United States. Tipical clueless lefty.
I knew the reason why here is training center in Israel which emulates Islamic village. I know how they are trained and who is trained. One of the best instructors and new soldiers are from Russia origin.
It is act of coward to try to portray it as something questionable. Because of this training center lives are safer.
"Acid test" what an idiot...
I knew the reason why here is training center in Israel which emulates Islamic village. I know how they are trained and who is trained. One of the best instructors and new soldiers are from Russia origin.
It is act of coward to try to portray it as something questionable. Because of this training center lives are safer.
"Acid test" what an idiot...
MV72
Marc VERRIERE
Well, I just found this Austrian guy's photography interesting. His other project are worth a look too.
The end comment may very well sound different in the original German version.
Personally I didn't feel any anti Russian bias. And if there were, well it's an artist's work, and Art is biased by essence. An interpretation of reality. No propaganda here to my mind. But of course you are free to interpret as you feel it depending on your own life experiences.
The end comment may very well sound different in the original German version.
Personally I didn't feel any anti Russian bias. And if there were, well it's an artist's work, and Art is biased by essence. An interpretation of reality. No propaganda here to my mind. But of course you are free to interpret as you feel it depending on your own life experiences.
davidnewtonguitars
Family Snaps
Well the controversy got me to look at the artist's pictures, and I find I don't like a lot of them, but I like the others.