Label
2024, "Beyond the Iron Curtain: Visions from the Cold War"
Explore the human side of the Cold War through Peter Turnley's lens. This photograph reveals the resilience of Soviet women miners during the end of the Cold War. Amidst coal miners’ strikes and political shifts of late '90s Russia, Turnley blurs reality and staging, prompting us to question photography’s purpose, in a county where Socialist Realism was the only accepted art form for so long. A single source of light illuminates an understated scene of laborers on break. Who are these unnamed workers? Do they smile for the camera naturally or pose intentionally? How does the image shed light on overlooked individuals and challenge the Cold War’s narratives? Miners in Novokuznetsk offers a unique perspective on the Cold War, emphasizing visual stories rather than names and inviting us to reconsider who really shapes our understanding of history.
Text by Lily Greene, Washburn student