Boris Mikhailov: The Hasselblad Award 2000 marks the artist’s receipt of one of the world’s most prestigious photography prizes. This monograph features the first publication of his “Dance” series (1978), which depicts spontaneous, open-air dancing in Kharkiv. Contrasting with the typical somber imagery of life under the Soviet Union, these cheerful photographs show people of all ages finding joy in the trivial and private aspects of daily life. The book includes an influential essay by Russian art critic Boris Groys and an exhaustive interview, exploring Mikhailov’s unique fusion of conceptual art and documentary realism that narrates the slow collapse of the Soviet utopia.
