07/24: Sergey Leontiev - the TOWER

Sergey Leontiev is a photographer. He took to photography at 22.

Since 1987 he participates in art exhibitions including:

"Representation", Hermitage association, Moscow, 1987; "Contemporary Russian Photography", Photography Museum, Losanne, 1988; "Comptoir de la photographie", Paris, 1988; Portfolio Gallery, London, 1988; "A Century of Photography", Manege, Moscow, 1989; "Contemporary Photography from the USSR", Walker, Ursitte & Ginesses Gallery, New York, 1990; International Photo Triennale , Esslingen, 1992; "Big Cities Theme", Neue Gesellschaft fur bildende Kunst, Berlin, 1993; "The Art of Contemporary Russian Photography", House of Artists, Moscow, 1994; Werkstatt Moskau, Berlin, 1995; Galerie Trapez, Potsdam, 1995.

From 1987 to 1989 together with A. Shulgin, I. Piganov, V. Efimov, I. Mukhin, B. Mikhailov and A. Sliusarev participates in Direct Photography group. During this period Leontiev creates his keynote project "A Study In Hard Photography": a work in street portraiture denying so-called artistic touch.

Works by Leontiev are kept in museums around the world including Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam and Russian Museum, Saint Petersburg. In 1991 Leontiev starts Easy Life photo agency. At present he is the favorite photographer of Afisha magazine.

"Leontiev photographs as if he writes a hokku - an unrhymed tercet. Plane, object, detail. The plane is Ostankino neighborhood; the object - TV tower, the detail - most often there is a bird dashing out. He writes, i.e. photographs with ease and elegancy. Ukiyo, the floating world surrounding the tower reminds us of the famous views of Mt. Fuji.

The world changes, the Tower remains unchanged" (Yu. Avvakumov)