Photrocity employs images of atrocity to deepen audiences’ understanding of shared human suffering caused by mass violence during wartime. Curated by Dr. Adam Muller (University of Manitoba), this exhibition features 19 photographs from the Sovfoto Archive, accompanied by specially commissioned text fragments by writer Struan Sinclair.
The juxtaposition of text and image is designed to heighten emotional engagement with the photographs while prompting deeper reflection on the links between historical and contemporary harms.
This exhibition runs concurrently with the 2014 International Association of Genocide Scholars conference (July 16–19) and extends through October 31, 2014, coinciding with the formal opening of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg in September.
The Sovfoto Archive
The Sovfoto Archive at the MacLaren Art Centre consists of 23,116 vintage gelatin silver prints (1936–1957) from the New York-based press agency Sovfoto/Eastfoto. These photographs document:
- World War II and its aftermath
- Rebuilding Soviet cities
- Collective farming
- Soviet education, theatre, and the arts
Established in 1932, Sovfoto was the only major source of visual reportage of Soviet life after the iron curtain blocked the free flow of information. The archive's photographs were state-sanctioned, retouched, and accompanied by English captions before being distributed to North American clients, including Life, Time, Newsweek, the Associated Press, and branches of the USA Armed Forces. Sovfoto continues today as Sovfoto/Eastfoto, providing historical and contemporary photographs from Russia, China, and other nations.
Acknowledgements: The School of Art Gallery thanks the MacLaren Art Centre for their invaluable collaboration. Additional support has been provided by:
- University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Arts Department of English, Film, and Theatre
- Department of German and Slavic Studies
- International Association of Genocide Scholars
- Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)
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