Award of Excellence

"Anton"

From the series "Days of melancholy". A 20-year-old gay man Anton Dronov poses for a portrait at his apartment in St. Petersburg, Russia. Anton says: “Heterosexuality is the right thing, everything else is not. I hope I'm not gay forever.” Reality has driven the gay community underground, to the shadows. In Russia only 1% of the gay population dares to live openly. That is why the general mood in my work is dark and melancholic. The visual concept mirrors the idea that being gay in Russia is not a rainbow colored life. In our country rainbows have some very somber shades.