I See Myself As What I Always Wanted To Be
I See Myself As What I Always Wanted To Be / Виждам се такава каквато винаги съм искала да бъда
oil on canvas. Size: 140 x 195 cm, 2021
Photo: © the artist
Courtesy the artist
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(Foto material used: Getty image of Team Russia bite their gold medals in the victory ceremony after the group all-around rhythmic gymnastics final at Wembley Arena during the London 2012. Anastasia Bliznyuk, Uliana Donskova, Alina Makarenko, Ksenia Dudkin, Karolina Sevastyanova, Anastasia Nazarenko)
"When we trained, we were just like robots behind bars." Karolina Sevastyanova
After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) barred Russian athletes and officials, including judges. It also announced that "all FIG World Cup and World Challenge Cup events planned to take place in Russia ... are cancelled, and no other FIG events will be allocated to Russia ... until further notice." FIG also banned the Russian flag at its events.European Gymnastics announced in March 2022 that no athletes, officials, and judges from the Russian Gymnastics Federation and the Belarus Gymnastics Association can participate in any European Gymnastics events, that no European Gymnastics authorities from Russia and Belarus can pursue their functions, and that European Gymnastics had removed from its calendar all events allocated to Russia and Belarus and would not allocate any future events to Russia or Belarus.
From No Time For Losers seriеs (2019-)
Title credit: Svetoslav Todorov - journalist, editor and writer
Collaborating since 2019
Използвам добре познатия, задължително улавян от спортните фотографи момент на триумф. Стоп-кадър, в който разглеждам ролевите взаимоотношения в оста награда-награден –награждаващ, колко тъмна е другата страна на медалът. Интересува ме още какво и кой конструира съдържанието на това понятие успех, като символ и метафора и какъв е неговият срок на годност.
In the series No Time for Losers I examine just that – what it takes from you, what and whom you pay, who constructs the content of success as a symbol and metaphor, what is its shelf life? I do it through the well-known moment of triumph, mandatory for sport photographers. A freeze-frame, in which I comment on the role interrelations between the award, the awardee and the award presenter.
I hit the brakes on the rat race for quick, immediate, instagrammable success. This concept is like a tomb. A remarkable pantheon, which you furnish meticulously with awards, trophies in your CV and what not, to the last day of your life.
Whoever wants to be a „relevant participant in the processes“ knows that things like vulnerability, exposedness and sensitivity smell of failure, they don’t make you competitive on the market. Like in sports, whose direct aesthetics I borrow for my series.
From an early age, you have to run in the right lane or track. Lest you compete on top level but outside of the field, or even worse – out of the range of the cameras reporting the game from the pitch.
I See Myself As What I Always Wanted To Be / Виждам се такава каквато винаги съм искала да бъда - detail
From No Time For Losers seria Photo: © the artist
Серията No Time For Losers на Антон Терзиев изследва психологическите, социални и попкултурни измерения на успеха през картини, които пресъздават паметни моменти в кариерите на спортисти от различни дисциплини.
В работите отношенията между публика и звезда взимат токсични завои, мракът се прокрадва в моментите на неописуема радост, черният хумор се смесва с драматичността, дивата анималистичност се появява там, където обикновено виждаме майсторски двубой, отдадено партньорство или саможертва в името на по-голяма цял.
No Time For Losers предлага алтернативен поглед към бързата популярност, феноменът на бързото изстрелване и внимание през последните няколко десетилетия, менталните травми, които настъпват в моментите, когато триумфът би трябвало да е безоблачен.
Светослав Тодоров - писател, журналист, кореспондент
I See Myself As What I Always Wanted To Be - detail
From No Time For Losers seria Photo: © the artist
Featured in
I See Myself As What I Always Wanted To Be - detail
From No Time For Losers seria Photo: © the artist
Featured in
I See Myself As What I Always Wanted To Be - detail. Photo: © the artist
foto: Antonio Georgiev-Hadjihristov