The Photography of Igor Mukhin

Subject: Photography

Keywords: black-and-white Eīhwaz MAMM Medvedev Moscow

Since the age of sixteen, starting out with a Смена-8М camera, Игорь Мухин (1961) has been taking photographs. So by the time he found himself among artists and musicians in the 1980s, he already had a trained eye – and a better camera. Mukhin (sometimes Moukhin) witnessed major changes and began documenting them. ‘I felt that the time of ‘change’ had come, and I needed to go and shoot’ (Flashbak, 2018).

For starters, get acquainted with Igor Mukhin’s work through the series Смотри в тишине (Look in silence). Presented by MAMM (= Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow).

Moscow and Моя Москва

Mukhin lives and works in Moscow, the city that is often the background, and foreground, in his work. He teaches at the Rodchenko Art School – in Russian and in full Московская школа фотографии и мультимедиа имени Родченко.

Моя Москва: My Moscow. The photographer himself shows you around (2017, 1 min).
More and similar book browsing sessions in:

Weekend (2017, 1 min)
Парадоски (2017, 1 min)
Рожденные в СССР (2017, 1 min)
Рожденные в СССР. Дополнительная глава (2016, 2 mins)

Moscow by Photographer Igor Mukhin – Игорь Владимирович Мухин
(Eīhwaz, 2016, 4 mins)

Андеграунд: Underground

Мода, молодость, рок-н-ролл: андеграунд в объективе Игоря Мухина. Fashion, Youth, Rock-’n-Roll (MAMM, 2020, 5 mins). More from MAMM (= Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow) on Mukhin in Экскурсия Игоря Мухина по выставке «Наши 1990-е. Время перемен» (2020, 25 mins).

Игорь Мухин. Альтернативная Культура 80-Х
(Игорь Мухин, 2017, 2 mins)

Dmitry Medvedev (or not)

A photo taken by Mukhin in 1986 has been sparking debate for years. It features a young Dmitry Medvedev, or at least someone who strongly resembles him, in an undiplomatic pose. According to an official statement, it is not the politician after all. Some still aren’t convinced.

Check/read

The photo can be seen at the exhibition (and in the book) Я видел Рок-н-ролл (I saw rock ‘n’ roll, 2016). And in the video below, with the not-Medvedev-after-all guy making his appearance at 1:13.

More images from the exhibition can be found at Мария Скрипкина (2016, 2 mins). Interview and explanation at Fontanka (2016, 16 mins, also here) and at РОСФОТО (2016, 1 min). Images from the book shared by Игорь Мухин himself (2017, 1 min), also here.

Фотограф Игорь Мухин представил новую выставку
(LIFE Петербург, 2016, 2 mins)