Misha Gordin is a Latvian-American conceptual photographer born in Riga in 1946.
“I decided to photograph concepts.”
He grew up in a family adapted to the soviet economy, witnessing the struggles of ordinary people who survived World War II. He graduated from aviation college but never worked as an engineer, instead joining the Riga Motion Studio’s special effects department. He began photography at nineteen but found portraiture and documentary disappointing. In 1972, he created his first conceptual photograph, “Confession,” which became the backbone of his work. In 1974, he immigrated to the United States to escape the repressive atmosphere of the Soviet Union.
- Born in Riga, Latvia, in 1946.
- Graduated from aviation college but worked in film special effects.
- Created his first conceptual photograph in 1972.
- Immigrated to the United States in 1974.
- Uses traditional darkroom masking techniques, not digital manipulation.
He is a self-taught artist who uses photography to express his feelings about the vital questions of humanity. He assembles his images in the traditional darkroom using a masking technique he developed and perfected over the years. He sketches his ideas before starting photography and logs his darkroom time by the week rather than hours, meticulously masking multiple negatives before creating a final image. His work has won numerous awards and he has recieved grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and other organizations.
He believes that conceptual photography is a higher form of artistic expression, placing it on the level of painting, poetry, and sculpture. He argues that the main ingredient of a powerful image is the concept, and that skill alone cannot save a poor concept. He has strived to make his conceptual images as realistic as possible, beliving that the unique power of photography lies in the belief that what the camera captures must exist. He has also created a new body of work that explores the relationship between the individual and society, often featuring solitary figures in stark, surreal landscapes. His work is held in major collections and continues to be exhibited internationally.