Look Straight
By photographing the side-view and front-view pictures of the chosen subjects, Paulina Masevnina creates a channel between a photographer and the person. “The only thing I wanted from models was to look straight, not smile, and randomly turn to the right/left side,” Paulina shares the tactic of approaching the mugshot aesthetic. However, something stronger passes in this silent communication, the gaze to the camera is eloquent and conveys a story beyond the present face.
Even though we can never build a complete narrative, the almost non-existent emotion is transferred, calling for attention. A deep desire to research the Post-Soviet experience of the second and third generation comes as a far cry demanding to be noticed while rewriting the future.
Look Straight is an ongoing project, which was started in 2020 by Paulina Masevnina, a photographer from Russia, currently based in the Czech Republic. We speak with Paulina and some of the models from the shoot, Lina and Darya, to explore the concept of the mugshots in a more thorough manner. Mugshot is a photographic practice from the early 19th century of capturing images of criminals for the police records. Choosing this aesthetic, Paulina attempts to “prove Susan Sontag’s statement by turning it into a concept, an idea of possessing someone for a moment while taking a shot, making someone vulnerable and naked with their clothes on.”
‘Inspired by the simplicity of mugshots, while taking photos, I asked models to give me a direct, strong gaze. I told them not to smile, look straight and stay still.’
— Paulina Masevnina
What is the essence of the Look Straight project and the central theme you addressed?
"...there is something predatory in the act of taking a picture. To photograph people is to violate them, by seeing them as they never see themselves, by having knowledge of them that they can never have; it turns people into objects that can be symbolically possessed." - Susan Sontag, On Photography.
Paulina: It started as a series that captures an intuitive process of analyzing, reflecting, and rethinking the definition of masculinity and beauty in Post-Soviet Russia. Pretty soon, the project grew into a large collection of different faces united by one aesthetic. Inspired by the simplicity of mugshots, while taking photos, I asked models to give me a direct, strong gaze. I told them not to smile, look straight and stay still, approaching the pureness of the posture and intensity of the glance. I’m trying to prove Susan Sontag’s statement by turning it into a concept, an idea of possessing someone for a moment while taking a shot, making someone vulnerable and naked with their clothes on.
‘I was thinking about the original process of taking mugshots — an extremely non-personal way of collecting faces, raw, and in a way, uncompromising, which is the purest way to capture a face.’
— Paulina Masevnina
Why did you choose the esthetics of mugshots, taking the side-view and front-view pictures of each person?
Paulina: As my work has always been about intimacy, connection, and visualization of one’s personality, in this project, I decided to work in a completely opposite direction. Mugshots, as one of the photography forms, seemed to be exactly the form I was looking for. I was thinking about the original process of taking mugshots — an extremely non-personal way of collecting faces, raw, and in a way, uncompromising, which is the purest way to capture a face. I didn’t want people to pose or express any particular emotion, which most of us do even subconsciously during normal shootings. Furthermore, I have been thinking about collecting portraits as an instrument of taking control over young people in Russia nowadays, the feelings of being identified and put in the system.
‘One of my purposes was to reach their reaction to the act of being captured, the action that seems to be most common and natural today.’
— Paulina Masevnina
You describe the idea of Susan Sontag as one of the main themes driving this shoot. What are some of the revelations you had about the subjects based on the type of photograph you chose in combination with the direction on set?
Paulina: When taking a picture of each of them, I was thinking about my mother’s statement on being photographed. I remember she told me that she never felt comfortable when someone took a picture of her because literally, it felt to her like giving away some part of her personality, losing a moment, and not being able to take control over it. Therefore, one of my purposes was to reach their reaction to the act of being captured, the action that seems to be most common and natural today. I have faced feelings of confusion, sexual tension, total indifference, some kind of fight with me for the heading role. This reaction was quick, almost subtle, subconscious. My director’s position was also affected by the relationship I have with the subjects. For example, while taking a photo of my lover, I didn’t have a feeling of possessing him, rather it was the opposite.
‘Looking and comparing these photos, after I have finished the project, I found it fascinating to capture a reflection of the relationship between me and the subject.’
— Paulina Masevnina
Each person curiously has a slightly dissimilar look and appeal photographed from two sides. How do you think each side adds to the exposure of the personality of the subject? How would you describe the experience of taking the images or in the later stages looking at them, comparing them?
Paulina: It took me some time and a few tries before I came up with the idea of how to shoot it; because the process was supposed to be related to the mugshots aesthetic as well. I didn't book any studio or a particular space for the shootings. Most of the time, we used a random white wall as a background, one that was nearby, in my friend’s apartments or art studios. Same with lighting, sometimes it was better to use a flash, other times having big windows in spacious places with daylight was enough. For some shots, I was also thinking about what kind of light would show their faces in the best way possible. Anyway, most of the time, it wasn’t set up, and I was going with the flow. Every shooting lasted for less than 5 minutes with a minimum of talk and communication. The only thing I wanted from models was to look straight, not smile, and randomly turn to the right/left side without giving any other instructions.
Among the photographed faces there are some of my close friends, random strangers, and a lover. Looking and comparing these photos, after I have finished the project, I found it fascinating to capture a reflection of the relationship between me and the subject, which stood out noticeably, thanks to the simplicity of the visual form of the photo itself.
‘If it is necessary to consider this as a phenomenon, then perhaps the Post-Soviet youth is a confrontation between inner tightness and outer freedom.’
— Lina
How would you describe the Post-Soviet youth today?
Paulina: It is such a complex image today; young people in Post-Soviet states are driven by uncompromising nature, desire for struggle, freedom, and change. I feel like we are trying to leave the trauma and mental background of the Soviet times, which we have never experienced, but still, we can reflect on it, rethink and criticize to create a new visual language and cultural values. The new creative generation is one of the most inspiring things for me today. It may sound pathetic, but for me, and many young people from the Post-Soviet states, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, etc. is not just a place, but it is a state of mind, and all its visual and cultural elements have become part of the collective memory. There is some kind of childish and naive approach, maximalism, and absolute frankness about what they create or how they experience things around them.
Lina: This is a difficult question since those who lived in the Soviet Union today can hardly be called youth, and those who are young today can hardly interpret their youth as Post-Soviet. Also, for me, it is just youth, not burdened with the label of Post-Sovietism. All typical Czechoslovakian wardrobes and chandeliers were thrown away in my early childhood. There are Soviet echoes only in our parents' minds who know exactly what their children need and who know how to survive. However, if it is necessary to consider this as a phenomenon, then perhaps the Post-Soviet youth is a confrontation between inner tightness and outer freedom.
Darya: Post-Soviet youth is now gradually released from stereotypes and limitations of past generations. It's a complicated process that may never end. Post-Soviet youth is about having more freedom and different kinds of desires, which were previously unacceptable and now are considered normal. I'm glad I live in these times. There are still many restrictions, but we get through them. I noticed that sometimes in this freedom, it’s also important to keep balance, then it will be super. It is a beautiful and difficult time.
Which moment from this project is most precious to you?
Paulina: I appreciated the honesty and intensity of the look that people were giving me in the photographs. I didn't really think about it during the shooting process, trying to bring it to the utmost degree of impersonality and automatism, but then comparing the photographs, observing what the eyes of each of them are 'saying' was quite interesting. As if some kind of a non-verbal dialogue took place between us, a dialog that has never happened on the shooting day.
