Among the vast array of genres, techniques, approaches, and philosophies in contemporary photography, the movement of compositional minimalists is particularly intriguing. This term is more of an art criticism term than an organisational one and specifically describes the practice of many photographers who consciously seek and capture combinations of simple forms in everyday landscapes, images, and scenes. This strategy represents a deliberate stance that could be described as a search for order amidst chaos, focusing on the subtle harmony of surrounding phenomena and training the eye for positive contemplation. Today, I would like to share three works by three outstanding contemporary photographers who employ compositional minimalism techniques and are forging their own unique professional paths. I had the privilege of discovering these photographers’ works at the “The Pulse of Spring” exhibition, held in March at the Eight Squared Gallery, Folkestone, United Kingdom.
Whispering Light by Vadim Dashkovsky
Vadim Dashkovsky, a photographer born in Belarus, is primarily interested in rhythm and the combination of forms within urban environments. To some extent, his style can be described as a conscious search and ironic deconstruction of ornamental elements in architecture. “Whispering Light”, one of his most illustrative works, focuses on two themes: the pattern of disproportionate windows on the facade of a residential building and the dynamic division of this pattern by straight and curved lines formed by natural and man-made objects. This multifaceted artwork challenges the compositional axioms of visual perception. A triangle filled with the shadow of leaves and branches, formed by three mismatched windows, is bisected horizontally by a straight communication pipe and a curved trunk of a tree, whether dead or alive. This work asserts and disperses its compositional claims, with compositional minimalism serving as an exhilarating tool that expands the potential of contemporary photography to influence viewers’ perception and interpretation.
Dusk’s Breath by Artemiy Repin
Artemiy Repin, originally from Russia and currently residing in the United Kingdom, develops an impressionistic direction in photographic compositional minimalism. For him, it is essential to convey not only the combination of forms but also the fluidity, uncertainty, and interpenetration of elements. His works can be described as extremely open to interpretation, characterised by soft contours and existing within a spectrum of one or two colours. However, the complexity of his works is immediately highlighted by a palpable lightness; they possess an effortless quality that makes them feel as if they could be contemplated and created with absolute ease. Yet this seeming lightness is the result of years of professional experience and a sophisticated artistic strategy. “Dusk’s Breath” is a powerful piece that explores our perception of vast natural panoramas, the geometric, colour, and light universals hidden within them, and it vividly demonstrates how many mysteries and enigmas lie within the ordinary (or perhaps extraordinary?) twilight of the blue spectrum.
Shadow by Anastasiia Ermakova
Shadow aims to transcend the monolithicity of visual genres. The virtuoso execution of photography, the choice of angle and moment, and the interplay of light and shadow make this work a vessel for two visual references: landscape photography and a seemingly vector-based digital aesthetic. However, one of these two is deceptive. The circle of the intensely realistic (to the point of a visual glitch) blazing sun, floating in the haze of a pinkish-beige sky, appears to melt the lower portion of the landscape, transforming the mountains into vector diagrams that obscure one another. Anastasiia Ermakova was born in Russia and graduated from Instituto Marangoni (London, UK). She is a contemporary artist actively developing her international career, presenting this landscape as an image of a polystylistic world that unites multiple perspectives. This work is an exhilarating attempt to convey how different people perceive the same phenomenon. The scattering of objects alludes to the artistic explorations of early abstract artists from the first half of the 20th century.
