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Focus on Belarus

by Andrei Liankevich

Photographs: Andrei Liankevich

Text: Ingo Petz (essay), Swen Steinberg/Daniel K.W. Trepsdorf (introduction)

Publisher: Swen Steinberg / Daniel K.W. Trepsdorf

104 pages

Pictures: 38 color pictures

Year: 2008

Glance into no man’s land - About the work of the photographer Andrei Liankevich There are hardly any photographers who have the ability, and the talent, to show today’s Belarus truly and free from any clichés, but still include all its historical and cultural disruption, its political apathy and difficulty, and - on the other hand - its will to change, its lurching vitality, its untamed cheeriness and screaming easiness. The young Belarusian photographer Andrei Liankevich succeeds in all of that. He is the analyst of the creeping and hidden change that leaves the old Belarus behind – and opens the door to a new one. Through his photos you can roam and discover Belarus, the country in the east, still unknown. A country that up to now has gained inglorious fame – as a symbol of hopelessness and catastrophes. With the help of his photos we learn how to really understand today’s Belarus: Take a look at the picture and discover a piece of the country’s soul. This is why his photos should not be shown only in famous newspapers and magazines, but also in museums and exhibitions. He must be discovered and he will be discovered. Considering the relative youth of Liankevich he has already developed an immense artistic voice that distinguishes him as one of the grand photographers of his country. Ingo Petz

Andrei Liankevich is a member of the Sputnik Photos collective.

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