591 Exhibition: Michael Kirchoff - An Enduring Grace

GO to the permanent 591 Exhibition "An Enduring Grace" by Michael Kirchoff

I was very impressed by the pictures that Michael Kirchoff presented in our "Pola Days", so I contacted him about a 591 Exhibition. He agreed to it and what's more; Michael was about to leave for a trip to Russia to do some photographing. He returned home to Los Angeles with new material for the ongoing series "An Enduring Grace" and 10 of the pictures in this exhibition are shown to the public for the first time. I hope you will enjoy the unique work of Michael Kirchoff as much as I do. - Mr Urbano

Website Michael Kirchoff

 

An Enduring Grace

“An Enduring Grace” is an ongoing project based on the fascination I have with the landscape and architecture of Russia, as well as its surrounding countries and former territories that have seen dramatic influence from the Russian culture. The series is a fulfillment of distant childhood curiosities of Russia, then the Soviet Union, as a place very few people seemed toknow much about.

I remember watching black and white television in my room and seeing news reporters broadcasting from the center of Red Square in Moscow. That image of St. Basilʼs Cathedral behind the reporter reminded me more of Disneyland rather than the evil empire of which he spoke.

Really, how could such a terrible place and its people be so bad when they are constructing buildings that looked like that? As an adult I took it upon myself to head for Russia to see for myself, and was quickly caught up in the beauty and scope of this amazing land.

- Text and photos ©Michael Kirchoff