"Erotic boom remained the phenomenon of the 1990s"

Photographer Evgeny Kondakov, whose work is in the collection of the Moscow House of photography and other museums, is the author of the book “Russian Sexy Revolution”. This album-a study of sexual life in Russia of the 1990s consists of pictures that were once published in Stern, The New York Times Magazine, Paris Match and other world magazines. They documented the process of emancipating Russian society: the first erotic publications, the first strip clubs and parties with naked models, the emergence of new social strata and new norms of behavior in society. We asked Yevgeny Kondakov to talk about how he remembered the sexual revolution of the 1990s.

In the Soviet Union, erotica existed in isolated places that were inaccessible to many. In the 1990s, she splashed into a public space-suddenly and instantly. Literally ended up in every underground crossing and on every corner. At that time, for example, an erotic magazine could present his next number in the square in the sleeping area of ​​Chertanovo.

Many of the photographs for the book “Russian Sexy Revolution” were made by me as part of routine editorial tasks for the Moscow News newspaper, in which I then worked. Scenes from the life of prostitutes were shot right in the center of Moscow - on Lubyanskaya Square near the FSB and Tverskaya building. At the opening of one of the first Dolls strip clubs in Moscow in 1994, I also accredited from Moscow News. This discovery gathered not only journalists, but also famous politicians and deputies who came not alone, but with their wives. The stripper club was news in Moscow life-its appearance was interested in everyone.

In the early 1990s, the first glossy magazines appeared in Russia, which began to publish a half-naked nature. There were few photographers, so in the morning you could take some demonstration, and in the evening-models for gloss. Moreover, the girls came to shoot with the same morning demonstration. In the 1990s, everyone was engaged in everyone.

The models were students, secretaries and saleswoman who wanted to change their lives and try something new. They tried through frank photo shoots to get into another world - glossy, beautiful. Most often for them it was the first and only shooting in life. They were not paid money. Many of them believed that such shootings are cool and progressive. Thus, they discarded the old principles of morality.

Moreover, among them were not only ordinary girls, but also famous actresses. For example, Elena Koreneva at that time considered it possible for herself to withdraw naked for AIDS-info-an absolutely yellow edition. On the day when the room with the photos of Koreneva came out, it was scary to go down in the subway - everywhere, on every dirty box, this newspaper lay. I don’t know how Koreneva herself felt at that moment, but after publishing the actress, an avalanche of Rugani fell upon the actress. By the way, despite the status of a boulevard newspaper, at that time AIDS-info was one of the few editions that had a good polygraphy, and therefore respected photographers were printed with pleasure.

In the 1990s, I also collaborated with Andrei magazine-one of the first Russian male magazines. Andrei magazine was invented by one person - Alexey Weizler. He was the editor -in -chief, photographer and producer. He himself found models, wrote texts and turned the magazine in his apartment near the Yuzhnaya metro station. We met Weizler at some presentation, there were many of them in the 1990s. I remember that one of the first shootings took place against the background of the walls of computers, which was issued by some kind of commercial company. Filming took place in primitive studios, in ordinary rooms and basements - where it would be necessary. It was somehow removed even in the real fire department.

When we shot a model on Red Square for Andrei, we took a spacesuit in the Cosmonautics Museum for honestly, and my wife’s friend lended me a squirrel fur coat. For the filming near the Cathedral of Vasily, blessed to be agreed with any power structures and services. Simply - they came and removed. A huge snowdrift, against which the girl poses in this photo, is a real, not decoration. And in the background you can see how some hard workers go from the shift. Although this photograph is staged, in fact it is documentary and very well conveys the spirit of that time.

We worked with Weizler by friendship - the magazine did not pay fees, because there was nothing to pay. “Andrei” came out irregularly, from case to case - when it was possible to find sponsors for the publication. Once, Andrei’s manager disappeared from the editorial office of the magazine, taking with him the circulation of one of the numbers instead of a salary. There was a time then.

Is it possible to say that a sexual revolution has occurred in Russia of the 1990s? In the 1990s, we had a lot of sexual and revolutionary-in the sense that the processes were explosive. But what happened to us was not like a sexual revolution, which took place a quarter century before in the West. The Western sexual revolution was primarily the movement of women who sought liberation and equality with men. What happened with us was primarily aimed at satisfying a new social stratum - men with money who wanted other entertainment. It was for them that erotic magazines and strip clubs opened, they were offered sex services.

In the 1990s, sexual life in Russia was very interested in Western magazines. Now it does not cause much interest, because it approached the average European standards. Although sometimes there are topics that attract attention. For example, I recently shot a plot for Spiegel about strip clubs for women. In Western Europe, they are less common and are not as popular as in Russia. We have it - a successful and profitable business. Many Russian women go to them regularly and behave there as men.

The erotic boom that happened in the early 1990s remained the phenomenon of that time. In the middle of the zero, I shot a project for the German magazine Stern . Once a week, they published a regular photo project called “Loves the World”, which was dedicated to sexual life in different countries. In search of plots for the project, I began to sort out my old photos and realized that many stories from the 1990s could not be shot anymore. Erotica and sex again went somewhere in specially designated zones-to where they probably should be.

Recorded Denis Boyarinov

The editors thanks the center of the photograph named after Lumiere brothers for help in conducting a conversation.

We thank our partners - the Foundation "Presidential Center B.N. Yeltsin ”(Yeltsin Center) and the educational portal“ Your History ” .