BIG BEARS,
HIGH PUMPS
The project „Big Bears, High Pumps“ (2021) is a photographic research of outmoded clichés about Russian women.
As a Russian woman leaving in Europe, I confront with the feeling that I must justify myself in Western society for my origins. Through the prism of clichés I research my own identity and play with my viewer - there are no concrete answers of the question about „how much Russian“ I am, so they have to conform with my authenticity. The work consists of staged photographs as well as everyday life shots.
The line between staging and self-staging is not clear, so the proportions of „clichés“ and personality vary in every picture. It’s kind of challenge for the viewers to question their own perception of others.
© Lena Matrosova (2022)