An exhibition of the best works of the 5th Wall Second International Contest of Theatre Photography was opened on November 6th, at the Mystetstvo Slobozhanshchyny Gallery of the Kharkov Regional Centre of Culture and Art. The best contest works have presented to the audience another 'instant theater', where only the captured moment prevails, and the actors' bodies are created by a light beam, the contrast of light and shadow.

There are not so much photographers working in this genre, and the projects presenting this direction can be counted on one hand. The theatre photography offers a fresh look at the theater, creating new interpretations and meanings. It is both the most valuable material for the reconstruction of the play, and an opportunity to convey the special atmosphere of the play, the concentrated essence of the image and director's idea.

"When we first have decided to show the theater photography at the festival, everyone has seen how all things viewed by the audience are reflected by a photographer in an unusual way," Natalia Novikova said during the opening of the exhibition. She is the administrator of the International Theatre and Design Festival of Live, where the photos of the first contest have been presented. "A look through the camera lens has gained the interest of both the audience and the actors. It has been interesting to recognize the performances in the interpretation of different photographers who have participated in our festival."

A photographer Irina Gladunko has come to the opening from the city of Nizhny Novgorod (Russia) for the only purpose to meet the Kharkov colleagues and see the exhibition. Unfortunately, many of the participants from other countries have been unable to come, so they will receive all the prizes and certificates by mail.

A total of 135 works were submitted for the contest, and the geography of participants has been wide enough. The applications were submitted by the photographers from Ukraine, Slovenia, Hungary, Montenegro, Serbia, Russia, Belarus and Sri Lanka.

The entries have been evaluated by the jury including both professionals in the genre of photography, and the theater and exhibition specialists.

The members of the jury have been as follows:

Tatyana Ishchenko – the head of Tourism Department of the Kharkov Regional State Administration, Kharkov, Ukraine;

Igor Boychenko – a photographer, the member of the National Union of Photo Artists of Ukraine, the winner of the 5th Wall First International Contest of Theatre Photography, Kherson, Ukraine;

Oleg Maliovanny – a photographer, the member of the National Union of Photo Artists of Ukraine, Kharkov, Ukraine;

Boris Blizniuk – a photographer, the chief officer of the Kharkov Photo Club, Kharkov, Ukraine;

Nadezhda Sokolenko – the head editor of the semi-popular journal Ukrainsky Teatr, Kiev, Ukraine.

Judging has involved a comprehensive approach, as to the works of a complex synthetic genre. The technical execution of the works, structure, theme, singularity of idea, artistry, and relevance to the contest subject have been taken into consideration.

"This year, judging was a great challenge for the jury, as the works were much stronger than last year, and there were not weak works at all, so it was hard to select the photos for the exhibition. The strongest works were presented," said Vera Lagutina, the head of the Modern Art Department of Mystetsvo Slobozhanshchyny Gallery.

The winning places have been shared as follows:

1st prize – Csaba Meszanos (Budapest, Hungary);

2nd prize – Vladimir Postnov (Saint-Petersburg, Russia);

3d prize – Ramis Nazayev (Kazan, Tatarstan, the Russian Federation).

Along with the winners' works, 50 best photos by 20 contestants have been selected for the exhibition:

Lidia Antonovich (Belgrade, Serbia), Sasha Huziak (Maribor, Slovenia), Vladislav Rudenko (Kharkov, Ukraine), Dusko Milžanik (Podgorica, Montenegro), Anzhelika Grekovich (Minsk, Belarus), Maria Kovaliova (St. Petersburg, Russia), Svetlana Zmeeva (Kiev, Ukraine), Nadezhda Borisovskaya (St. Petersburg, Russia), Olga Rozhkova (Moscow, Russia), Yuliya Razina (Perm, Russia), Yaroslav Maslov (Kharkov, Ukraine), Stanislav Pilipenko (Kharkov, Ukraine), Evgeniy Titov (Kharkov, Ukraine), Henry Rayakaruna (Thalawathugoda, Sri Lanka), Irina Gladunko (Nizhny Novgorod, Russia), Dmitry Vinogradov (Samara, Russia), Andrej Shapran (Novosibirsk, Russia).

The 5th Wall Photo Contest is a non-profit event, and it is even more pleasant that the competition has been supported by the printing houses PrintHouse and CopyBreak. The prizes for the winners have been provided by the partners of the photo contest – PhotoBags, an online shop of stylish carrying cases for cameras and the Books bookstore.

Authors and guests have been also congratulated by the special guests, the «Court Jazz»-Band (vocal – Natalia Shkurko, keyboards – Grigory Mishchenko). They are the winners of numerous jazz festivals.

The contest was first initiated and organized by the Kharkov Regional Organizational and Methodology Centre of Culture and Art in 2012.

Creative meetings with Kharkov photographers and members of the jury, art lectures will be held as part of the exhibition, and a discussion between the photographers and theater-goers, The Theatre and the Photography: the System of Interconnections is scheduled on November 20th.

The exhibition runs till November 30th, 2013.

Open to the public.

Come to us at the following address: Kharkov, Gosprom, 4th entrance, ground floor (entrance from the side of Svobody Square).