An exposition presented by the Honorary Consul of the Russian Federation in Lausanne, in association with the Musée de l’Elysée.

The Family Cult is an original project conducted by Vladimir Mishukov in and around Moscow. Seventy eight families responded positively to his random demands by opening to him the door to their homes. Vladimir Mishukov photographed them as they wished to appear, in the sphere of their intimacy, according to their will and their own staging. Always front-facing, the camera angle sheds light on Moscow’s modern life through an everyday environment.
Via these families emerges a narrative about cultural, social, political and economic changes that followed the collapse of the URSS. The tensions, difficulties and contradiction of the Russian society are being laid out through multiple personal contexts.

On a large print scale, Vladimir Mishukov takes up the old family photo tradition, previously reserved for the studio. With contemporary look and technique, Mishukov offers an artistic subject with a strong social and cultural dimension. Oscillating between intimacy and publicity, the photographic space presented here reflects the society as a whole through individual characteristics.
Born in Moscow in 1969, Vladimir Mishukov graduated from Russian Academy of Theatre Arts in 1995. He works as a professional photographer since 1998, regularly publishing his work in magazines such as Ogonyok, Elle, Premier or Vogue.

He has collaborated with the Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev on his two most popular films: The Return and The Banishment.
By presenting his “Family cult”, in particular, he is one of Russia’s contemporary photographers to appear on Russian and international scenes in the beginning of the 2000s.