In 2015 Fedya Ili published the catalogue ‘Naked Petersburg’, containing both intimate photographs and statements of the people portrayed, which mirrors the contemporary social environments in St. Petersburg, Russia. In the new catalogue, ‘Naked Berlin’ is following the same concept. The statements aren’t that different from those of the Russian men. Obviously the treacherous security of one of Europe’s gay capitals, Berlin, is about to abscond. The dystopia of the gay men community is noticeable. The artist threw a cast shadow of a random situation at the present. And he had chosen men, who are usually not in the focus of glitter and glamour of today’s lifestyle mags and portals.
The artist’s sensibility, a rarely found instrument of today artists, grants these portraits reliability, not only in terms of the artistry. The artist becomes a chronicler of social environments.
This project will be continued: In the second half of 2016, there will be published the 3rd catalogue, this time with portraits of men living in the French capital. ‘Naked Paris’ will be the next impressive testimony of Fedya Ili.
Franz Werner