Mariya Kozhanova
Declared Detachment
[ EPF 2017 – HONORABLE MENTION ]
The series “Declared Detachment” represents a generation of Russians which was born in times when well organized society and established identity fell apart. All myths and beliefs that were the driving force for generations before were destroyed. Children came into our time absolutely ideologically naked.
Now a lack of base and missing of foundation in society opened them a life which they could not trust. Forces for creating their own identity from the beginning were missing. In this moment, their society could not offer them any deserved faith, ideals or any other meaning. This young generation of Russians started to borrow it from totally different cultures.
Some of them declared their way through Japanese mass-culture of “cosplay” where in a simple, catchy, bright, spectacular, superficial world of anime heroes with attractive idols and colorful looks you could become any of those figures yourself. This generation escaped into a different ideology and tried to build their illusive world on the ruins of the past. But are their beliefs true enough for a new establishment or just a temporary detachment from troubles and imperfections of everyday life?
Short Bio
Mariya Kozhanova was born in 1986 in Kaliningrad, Russia. She is a member of the Kaliningrad Union of Photographers.
From 2007 to 2017, she exhibited with her photo projects in Russia, Lithuania, Germany, United States, Slovakia, South Korea, United Kingdom, Italy, Brazil, Japan, Denmark, and Finland. Mariya participated in the Houston FotoFest (2012) with a group exhibition of the Young Generation of Russian Photography. In the year 2013 and 2015, she was chosen for the Young Portfolio of the Kiyosato Museum of Photographic Arts. She was a World Press Joop Swart Masterclass 2016 student and 2017 she was awarded third place with her first book dummy “Two Sisters” during the Vienna Photobook Festival.
“Declared Detachment” was exhibited at the Singapore International Photography Festival (2014), at Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography (2014), during Kaunas Photo (2015), at a solo show during the Festival de la Luz (2016) and recently during Backlight Festival (2017).
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The Emerging Photographer Fund is supported by generous donors to the Magnum Foundation
