Alexander Chekmenev: The Donbas
© Alexander Chekmenev
Sodom and Gomorrah
by: Igor Manko
The Donbas means “The Donets river black coal basin”. The vast black coal resources of the region, discovered in 1721, began to be exploited in the mid-late 19th century. It was at this point that the name "Donbas" came into use.
The Donbas region includes two cities that are Ukraine’s regional administrative centers: the city of Luhansk and the city of Donetsk. Both cities were established in the late 18th century, both owe their industrial well being to the British (Charles Gascoigne and John Hughes, respectively), both used to be named after Communist party leaders in the Soviet times.
The Donbas is where two self-proclaimed separatist “republics”, inspired, instigated, armed and financed by Russia, brought about the “war in the East”. It is where MH17 was downed in 2014. It is also where all the photos in this exhibition had been taken since 1993 - and until the newest history of the region in 2014.
Because the region relied on coal-mining and manual labor, it suffered immensely after the disintegration of the USSR in 1991 and the economic collapse that followed. “Mining became an artisanal labor in Donbas. Wherever the coal came close to the surface, the villagers simply dug a hole in the ground or used the abandoned mining shafts. Like a hundred years ago, the hammer and chisel became the primary instruments of the miner, clawing himself into the ground wherever he finds a modicum of coal. (...) The illegal mining industry has sparked a spontaneous boom in enterprise in the local villages. A bucket of potatoes costs three buckets of coal; a bottle of homemade liquor— a sack.” (Alexander Chekmenev, artist’s statement)
Poverty and unemployment made the region an easy game for all sorts of political intrigue - from communist ideas to Russian propaganda, from free food rations generously offered by pro-Russian politicians to free satellite dishes pre-tuned to Russian TV. The population gladly allowed their minds to be brainwashed. The attitudes and values of totalitarian past prevailed; the nostalgic Soviet sentiment was widespread.
When Ukrainians rose in a revolutionary upheaval in December 2013 demanding European future for their country, Donbas remained unperturbed and impervious to the idea.
When the separatist warlords were taking power in the spring of 2014, their promise of fast joining the Russian Federation with its higher salaries and retirement plans found immediate support of the majority of population. The offer of a good pay spawned packs of armed soldiers of fortune. Accompanied by old Soviet pop songs broadcasted loudly in public places, they started eliminating all signs and symbols of their association with Ukraine, like national flags and inscriptions in the Ukrainian language. In Donetsk one of their first actions was to smash the only contemporary art gallery in the city, proclaiming it a propagator of degenerate art. A photobook by Boris Mikhailov earned their special attention.
Chekmenev’s analog black-and-white and color images showcase the becoming of this “Donbas syndrome” in a gallery of portraits, even though his “models” are not always aware that they are being photographed. When they are conscious enough to ask, he tells them they are to remain immortal - in his photos, - and they complacently agree. Chekmenev’s photographic research (whether the artist likes it or not) is an indictment to the society that permitted itself that obtuse facial expression, that lax mental activity and that lack of will to change.
There has been numerous attempts to account for the fact that the separatist revolts didn’t succeed in other Russian-speaking parts of Ukraine such as Kharkiv and Odessa. Why was the Donbas region singled out for all the brimstone and fire that started raining on its people’s heads in the spring of 2014?
Chekmenev’s merciless and uncompromising imagery provides an inquisitive viewer with a comprehensive and reliable visual answer.
© Igor Manko 2016