MOSGOROD

April 11 – May 20

Within the framework of Photobiennale 2012

Supported by the Embassy of France and French Institute in Russia

On the 10-th of April RuArts Gallery presents a new exhibition called MOSGOROD, supported by the Embassy of France and French Institute in Russia, Ruinart champagne House and also by the global Private Members' Club Quintessentially. Within the framework of Photobiennale 2012 three famous French photographers Marc Bonneville, Laurent Villeret and Boris M will represent to the Moscow public their vision of the fantastic metropolis existing only in their imagination, in which landscapes one can easily guess real Moscow with the familiar traits of different world capitals.

Moscow is the capital of Russia, an enormous country, even on a scale of the whole continent.

Its population, according to the officials, is 15 million and 20 million – according to different independent sources.

Is it a magnetic place, symbol of success and power, inaccessible city?

Marc Bonneville

Marc Bonneville, Laurent Villeret and Boris M are the three French photographers who conducted research of urban environment, trying to reflect reality by means of quantum approach, in which the very fact of watching the experiment process is changing its results. These three viewpoints, three measuring tools, are turning into a building instrument of a new city called MOSGOROD.

Boris M

Lacerated shadows, highlights, chromatic flare and mirror reflexions are all visual materials new reality of MOSGOROD is built on.

One of the photographers uses filters, another uses an opened diaphragm, the third one – a very complex printing technique, but all of them have a common dream of a universal, polytechnical, multisynthetic and complex metropolis.

Laurent Villeret

On the 5-th of April RuArts Gallery hosts a workshop session of Marc Bonneville and Laurent Villeret.

During the master class the photographers will talk about their tricks of the trade, share their experience of using innovative techniques and also personal know-hows. Furthermore, Laurent Villeret will introduce the unique technique called «pola transfert», which allows to create real masterpieces at the intersection of painting and photograph with the help of Polaroid negatives and image transfer to the watercolor paper.

 Russian interpretation provided during workshop.

Free entrance by previous appointment.

Beginning: 16.00 h

BIOGRAPHY:

LAURENT VILLERET

Laurent was born in 1973. In the year 1993 he finished Louis Lumière College and moved to the United Arab Emirates, where later became an aerial photographer.

In the year 1999 he returned to France and started working in Paris as an independent photographer, shooting for media, advertisement, corporate and private clients.

Besides, he lectures the art of photography at several Parisian educational institutions (Visuel, centre Iris, LEP Quinault).

2002 Laurent became one of the founders of the international independent photographers association Dolce Vita (www.collectifdolcevita.com).

Since 2007 Laurent Villeret is a member of Picturetank agency.

Selected exhibitions:

2011– Les Héliotropes, Item Atelier, Lyon

2011    –  Itinéraire photographique,  Limousin Festival,  Limoges 

2008– Les Héliotropes, Paris Photo Festival, L'oeil Ouvert Gallery, Paris

2006– NOX,  L'oeil Ouvert Gallery, Paris

2005– Les canapés d’Europe, Paris Photo Festival, Paris

2004– Keep the distance, Collective exhibition, Lhomond Gallery, Paris

2004    – IN / EX ,  French Cultural Center, Damas

2003– Festival Image En Scène,  Saint-Junien

2002– Polaroid, Chronique Nomade Festival, Honfleur

2002    – Persistance, Artatum Gallery, Paris

1997 – Zanzibar, Itinéraires Gallery, Paris

1997    – Empreintes, D. Amourette Art Gallery, Rouen

1996– Carnet tanzanien, Creil

1996    – Primavera festival, Barcelona

1995    – La France agricole, Collective exhibition, Paris

MARC BONNEVILLE

Marc Bonneville was born in 1962 near Geneva. He graduated from Art College in Vevey, Switzerland; a member of Collectif item since 2003. Before getting a membership of Collectif, he worked as a freelancer in different agencies like: Arenok, Axel Presse/Global photo, Wostok Press, etc.

Marc has lived and worked in Russia since 1998 and in Moscow since 2002. The most interesting thing in Russia for him is its people life-style that he tries to capture in his works.

This is proved by Marc’s projects: «Bessarion», «Hitchhiker's to Lake Baikal», «Tofalars» were published in «Ogonyok», National Geographis, GEO. These projects are made in the same style which today can be called classical. After he had made acquaintance with Collectif photographers, Mark changed his traditional photography method and started to use different maneuvers and photo techniques in his new projects as well as in presentation of the previous works.

New tendencies are reflected in his Moscow projects: «Moscow subway», «Let’s dance!», «Victory day», «Russian interior» and also in the projects made in other countries: «New generation of Mongolia», «Magadan-Laos».

 He is enthusiastically engaged in panoramic photography, traveling the world to implement his own projects and also for editorial assignment work. Mark is actively involved in common projects of Collectif, including the most famous Photofestival Visa pour l'image in Perpignan. He is currently working on a large project called «City of Peace».

Selected exhibitions:

2004  – «110 years anniversary of Ogonyok»,  Moscow House of Photography

2008  – Photsoc, France

2010  – LOFT Gallery, Moscow

2010  – Hyères Médiathèque, France

2010 – Tarare, France

2010 – item la gallerie, France

2011 – Vladivostok Photobiennale, Vladivostok

2011 – Rostov-on-Don Photobiennale, Rostov-on-Don

BORIS M

Boris M was born in 1978, in Odessa, USSR.

After graduating from school, he moved to Irkutsk, where he entered the Institute of Romance languages. Then Boris continued his education in Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO-University), where he received bachelor's degree (combined with Paris Institute of Political Studies). Later he studied in Strasbourg and in Paris in National School of Administration (ENA).

For the first time Boris M was published in a Darkroom II by Urban Fox (GB) in 2008.

In the year 2009 he took part in a group exhibition at LOFT Gallery in Moscow.

For additional information and for accreditation questions please contact:

Alice Karpova

+7 919 777 48 83

Pr@ruarts.ru