From "BEACH." © Boris Mikhailov

A Subtle Sense of Humor

This time, as with the last, I'd like to talk about Boris.

If I had to express the common thread running through Boris's work in one word, it would be "a profound sense of humor." He says little, but his words land with a perfect comedic timing, making your heart laugh even if you don't audibly chuckle. His work exudes this exquisite sense of humor. It's grotesque yet somehow endearing.

The women who attended the reception seemed to grasp this aspect perfectly. When I mentioned this to Boris after the reception, he was delighted. He explained that he knew his work would resonate with Japanese people because Japan has a long tradition of "three-act fall" humor, similar to haiku. He felt his work shared a similar structure.

From "BEACH." © Boris Mikhailov

An Intellectual Aura Permeating the Exhibition

There's a certain allure in the subdued aspects of Boris's work. I also sense the complex Russian national character, one that doesn't yield easily.

Where we might easily give up, he seems to overcome challenges with sheer willpower. For the exhibition, he would spend hours redoing things repeatedly. Witnessing this reinforced my understanding that a gallery exhibition is different from a book.

The key is to first observe the whole and then consider how it makes you feel, or rather, how it's designed to make you feel. I happened to miss the final preparations this time, and upon my return, I saw the completed exhibition. At first glance, I thought, "Oh, this is interesting," and simultaneously felt how intellectual and modern it was.

The sense of humor I mentioned earlier connects to intelligence. The subject matter itself is quite conventional, and viewed individually, one might wonder, "What is this?" But the way he links these elements into a cohesive body of work, adding a few words and shaping them into that final form, is truly remarkable. He is, without a doubt, a highly intelligent individual.


Boris Mikhailov Photography Exhibition "BEACH"
Dates: February 28 (Wed) - March 25 (Sun), 2007
Hours: 12:00 PM - 8:00 PM (Closed Mondays)
Venue: RAT HOLE GALLERY
5-5-3 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, HYSTERIC GLAMOUR Aoyama Store B1F
TEL: 03-6419-3581

Boris Mikhailov was born in 1938 in Kharkiv, a major industrial city in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (currently residing in Berlin). He began photography at the age of 28, working as an electrical engineer for the railway company. Later, he lost his job for photographing nudes, which were taboo under the socialist regime, and became an independent photographer. Through his energetic activities, he established his reputation as a significant artist. While free artistic expression was restricted under the Soviet system, he created numerous works satirizing the regime and capturing intensely personal scenes. His work, born from a resilient spirit that refused to yield to pressure, possesses a fierce yet warm gaze that seeks truth. It was first recognized in Europe and then gained global acclaim. In the 1990s, his radical and humorous style garnered increasing praise through solo exhibitions at museums in various cities worldwide and numerous publications. He received the Hasselblad Award in 2000, further expanding his artistic endeavors. He first visited Japan in 1998. In Japan, his work has been featured in exhibitions such as "Double Exhibition with Nobuyoshi Araki = Winter Love =" (ShugoArts / 1999) and "Intersecting Currents - MoMA's Collection of Modern Art" (Hara Museum of Contemporary Art).

RAT HALE GALLERY: http://www.ratholegallery.com
HYSTERIC GLAMOUR Official: http://www.hystericglamour.jp
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