The Borders of Russia is a documentary photographic study of the Russian border. The project, however, is not simply an outcome of a geographic journey along the border, but also the result of an intellectual journey exploring the connection between the disturbance of territorial boundaries, identities and collective memory.
A complicated Soviet past coupled with an uncertain future and the vast geography of Russia has made these territories a problematic area politically, physically and ethically. The borders and the surrounding areas bear witness to the historical events that once took place and the consequences – political, social and cultural. These are the territories where the past meets the present, cultures mix, identities are put at risk. The disturbance of boundaries, whether due to the process of unification or disintegration have always been connected with the issue of self-loss, threat to identity.
The project does not simply document the physical border and its constantly changing nature, but serves as a study of cultural symbols associated with the collective identity and landscape as its metaphorical representation.
Maria Gruzdeva. Cityscape, Sovetsk, Kaliningrad region. From the series “The Borders of Russia”
Maria Gruzdeva. Local fisherman, Neman river, Russian – Lithuanian border. From the series “The Borders of Russia”
Maria Gruzdeva. Man in mask, combatant of the Alpha group, an elite Russian counter-terrorism unit. From the series “The Borders of Russia”
Maria Gruzdeva. Shooting range, Border Guard base, Kaliningrad region. From the series “The Borders of Russia”
Maria Gruzdeva. Helmets left after a training session of the Alpha group combatants. From the series “The Borders of Russia”
Maria Gruzdeva. Tamitsa village, Onega district of Arkhangelsk region. From the series “The Borders of Russia”
Maria Gruzdeva. Natalia, Malye Korely village, Primorsky district of Arkhangelsk region. From the series “The Borders of Russia”
Maria Gruzdeva. Tree decorated by bows for luck and happiness, according to a Russian tradition, Arkhangelsk region. From the series “The Borders of Russia”
Maria Gruzdeva. Hammer and Sickle monument, Vinogradnoe, Krasnodar region. From the series “The Borders of Russia”
Maria Gruzdeva. Servicewomen, Border Guard Service learning centre. From the series “The Borders of Russia”
Maria Gruzdeva. Seascape, Azov sea, former Russia – Ukraine sea border. From the series “The Borders of Russia”
Maria Gruzdeva. Painting, Border Guard base. From the series “The Borders of Russia”
Maria Gruzdeva. Coast Guard ship, Primorsky Krai. From the series “The Borders of Russia”
Maria Gruzdeva. Border Guard, Russia – Norway. From the series “The Borders of Russia”
Maria Gruzdeva. Ershovo village, Pskov region of Russia bordering with Estonia. From the series “The Borders of Russia”
Maria Gruzdeva. Red Star Monument, Severodvinsk, Arkhangelsk region. From the series “The Borders of Russia”
Maria Gruzdeva. Mural, Coast Guard base. From the series “The Borders of Russia”
Maria Gruzdeva. Artem and Ilya, Novorossiysk embankment. From the series “The Borders of Russia”
Maria Gruzdeva. Kabardinka harbour, Krasnodar region. From the series “The Borders of Russia”
Maria Gruzdeva. Painting, coast guard base. From the series “The Borders of Russia”
Maria Gruzdeva. Soldiers carrying out public works, Korzunovo, Pechengsky district, Murmansk region. From the series “The Borders of Russia”
Maria Gruzdeva. Building of the Council of Ministers of Abkhazia stands in ruins after the Sukhumi massacre, Square of Liberty, Sukhumi, Abkhazia. From the series “The Borders of Russia”
Maria Gruzdeva. Boys waiting to perform a national dance, Abkhazia. From the series “The Borders of Russia”
Maria Gruzdeva. Seascape, cape Astaf’eva, peninsula Trydnii [the Hard One], Primorsky Krai. From the series “The Borders of Russia”
Maria Gruzdeva (1989) is a Russian-born photographer based in London. She graduated from Central Saint Martins School of Art in Design and continued her studies at London College of Communication, receiving a Masters Degree in Photography. She is a recipient of the Ideastap & Magnum Photos Photographic Award, winner of the Magenta Flash Forward Emerging Photographer 2012 and Fresh Faced Wild Eyed. Her work has been exhibited internationally, with group and solo shows in Russia, UK, France, Switzerland, Belgium and Malaysia.
![Maria Gruzdeva. Seascape, cape Astaf'eva, peninsula Trydnii [the Hard One], Primorsky Krai. From the series “The Borders of Russia”](https://fkmagazine.lv/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/The_Borders_of_Russia_24.jpg)
