Ksenia Kuleshova

In late 2022, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine dragged on, President Vladimir Putin signed new legislation cracking down on LGBTQ communities. Almost ten years earlier, Russia had enacted a federal law that prohibited the promotion of “non-traditional sexual values”—seen as Western values—to anyone under the age of eighteen. Known by many as the “gay propaganda law,” it has been used to silence any public discussion or positive messaging about LGBTQ issues. The life of LGBTQ Russians who, despite the relentless homophobia from politicians, religious leaders, and the media, remain open about their sexuality and seek happiness and joy in their everyday lives, is shown in Ordinary People. Ksenia Kuleshova also looks beyond Russia’s borders to people in former Soviet states, many of which have taken their lead from Russia’s homophobic policies. Powerful and intimate, Ordinary People is a moving and ultimately joyful testament to the survival and resilience of the LGBTQ community in one of the most oppressive countries in the world.

‍

The Russia’s senseless invasion in Ukraine became a personal tragedy for me, as I was born in Russia. Before the war started, I was photographing alive flowers as a ritual of joy and celebration of beauty. But after the war started, I didn’t know how to express my pain and the complexity of emotions, so a new work was born, and it became a visual diary of the artistic protest against the war and violence.

‍