The title of the exhibition (and the accompanying book published by Mack) is a “metaphor,” explains the photographer Bertien Van Manen. It refers to an old Russian custom where travellers about to embark on a long voyage sit dow and take a moment to consider, “where they are going and why.” The same could be said of the book and exhibition.

In 2010, the Dutch photographer took a moment to review the path of her career, which had over the course of twenty years taken him Russia, Moldavia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, the Ukraine, Tatarstan and Georgia. These travels resulted in projects and publications like “a Hundred Summers a Hundred Winters,” “East Wind West Wind,” and “Give me your image.”

This new publication (in collaboration with the English photographer Stephen Gill) allowed Van Manen to revisit the photographs that, even with a bit of distance and a deeper knowledge of these countries, have nonetheless stayed with him. She was surprised to see that, apart from the photographs taken in large city centers, there was essentially no difference between those taken in 1991 and those taken in 2009.

“Today, my curiosity and fascination with this part of the world remains.”

Bernard Perrine
Bernard.Perrine1@orange.fr

Let's sit down before we go
Bertien Van Manen
Until January 14, 2012

In Camera galerie
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