IN MOTION. VALENTIN KHUKHLAEV

About

Valentin Khukhlaev (1916-2010) was a photo correspondent of the major Soviet news agency TASS for over 50 years. He made around a thousand photo stories on assignment of the Agency. Photographic archive of active and energetic Khukhlaev stands out by its encyclopedic character. From 1946 onward, he captured postwar recovery of the country, its industrial and agricultural advancement, Moscow festivals, foreign trips and a lot more that made up life of the big country. However, V. Khukhlaev puts an emphasis on motorsports events, aviation and navy holidays, car manufacturers and transport - everything related to the topic of movement. Dynamics, speed, risk make up the driving force of his photography, revealing most the photographer’s character.

Motorsport was among the most popular sports subjects of the 1960s-1980s predetermined by its spectacular nature. In V. Khukhlaev’s pictures motorists tend to turn into abstract silhouettes that leave a long tack of time exposure behind. The approach refers to interest in photo avant-garde practices, typical of the 1960s. Photographer’s education at the Aviation College and service at Naval Aviation brought about liking for shooting aviation festivals and competitions, which reveals even greater tendency towards black-and-white rhythm. Khukhlaev captures motor rallies, motor shows, city car parades, festivals of motorists, major car manufacturers of the country (ZIL and AZLK plants) with the release of key Moskvitch and ZIS models as well as every-day scenes on the road. All these in the variety of well-balanced compositions and perspectives.

The exhibition puts together series shot during the photographer’s travels around the world: early soviet cruises around Europe in 1957 and 1958 and trips to Africa. Apart from 100 vintage and modern prints, the exhibition features original artist’s photo-collages and photo-stories, collection of magazine and newspaper publications, and video footage of sports evets.