Fashion at the Graveyard 1997

Curator: Here we have Arsen Savadov’s “Fashion at the Graveyard” from 1997, a photograph rendered with mixed media. Editor: It's… striking. The stark contrast between the high fashion and the graveyard setting is unsettling, almost confrontational. Curator: Absolutely. Savadov, working in a post-Soviet context, often used these staged photographs to explore themes of social change and cultural identity. The materiality of the setting itself becomes charged. The garments – where were they sourced, what was the labour? Editor: I see that tension playing out. The models are wearing what appears to be very deliberate styling and the juxtaposition with the rows of graves… it forces us to consider how we construct meaning, both personally and collectively, through symbols of status and mortality. How the images, clothes and adornment reflect that constant play. Curator: And it’s not simply about status. Consider the labour involved in creating and maintaining those graves, the floral arrangements. Juxtapose that with the fleeting trends of high fashion, often produced with exploited labour, consumed, then discarded. The materials tell the whole story of labour under late capitalism. Editor: That makes sense. In some ways, the graveyard and high fashion worlds share that pretense of preservation. We strive to preserve our image. This portrait also reminds me of the public's growing need to record or reflect upon tragedy, especially through street photography which allows the everyman to engage with grief. The figures aren't necessarily mournful or respectful but instead adopt a kind of flippant casualness towards what surrounds them. Curator: The artist cleverly exploits our tendencies to capture ourselves even at the most unseemly occasions, like the 'culture event photography' suggested through tags in this photo, highlighting the complex intersections of grief, display and commodification of fashion, reminding us that death, too, can be shaped by economics and the culture of consumption. Editor: Ultimately, Savadov encourages us to reflect on these strange collisions between worlds: fashion, mortality, performance, and mourning. Curator: Agreed. By carefully positioning these disparate elements, it certainly highlights the tensions in how we navigate shifting social landscapes.