Alexander Mihalkovich (Belarus)
To become a man?
Belarus. Every man of 18-27 year old has to serve 548 days in the army. Many people wonder if it is that necessary and whether young men benefit from it or just waste their time, while the majority of the patriarchal society thinks that army hardens young boys and makes them real men.
When I was planning to go into the army, I thought that I would photograph openly and freely, having the permission of the commanders for me to use my professional camera. But, as usually it is, reality was far from the ideal. I was sent to the Belarussian special forces unit (city - Marjina Gorka) and couldn't even use my mobile phone, not to mention its camera. I managed to get my old simple-film camera Olympus MJU II. All photographic experience reflects the limits of life and space, constant tension among soldiers, losing their individuality and surrendering to overall conformism in the place. The army – it is a big old system, where still lives the old Soviet traditions, which are very similar to jail traditions (with similar relations between people too). And this system, this engine lives only because of young soldiers’ energy which is used by officers like free labour and i by the governmental machine as propaganda. The main question that arose inside me - does the army make a man out of a boy?
I stayed in the army only one year because I had high education. After demobilization I decided to make full-cycle project about the army. From 2010 till 2013 I photographed the process from recruiting to oath, and from a soldier's service to demobilization. Also I used my letters and paintings to describe photos which never was done because of army restrictions.
Alexander Mihalkovich (b. 1984) is a visual artist, lives and work in Baranovichi, Belarus.
He works on personal long-term fine art photography projects, documentary film-making and audiovisual installations. Alexander is concerned about the past and different historical issues which are connected with modern life. He experiments with new forms of visual art at the edge of photography and with video and objects. Mihalkovich.com
EDUCATION
2014-2016 – master program for documentary movie makers DOCNOMADS.EU. Lisbon, Brussels, Budapest.
2014 – International Summer School of Photography. Kuldiga, Latvia
2013 – Long-term course on documentary photography by Yuri Kozyrev, Andrei
Polikanov ,Tatyana Plotnikova and Maim Dondyk. Minsk, Belarus
2013 – Workshop on documentary photography by Stanley Greene. Vilnius, Lithuania
2012 - Workshop on documentary filming from Belsat TV. Warsaw, Poland
2010-2011 – Graduated with sergeant degree in army. Marjina Gorka, Belarus
2008 - Workshop on documentary filming, working with sound and post-production from Polish TV. Warsaw, Poland
2006-2009 – Graduated with PhD degree in Library sciences at Russian State Library Educational Centre. Passed the Exams for PhD degree. Scientific work not finished . Russia, Moscow
2001-2006 – Graduated with master’s degree in Art Science at MSUCA. Moscow, Russia
EMPLOYMENT
2011 till now – working on personal projects in audiovisual arts
2011-2014 – worked on personal projects and on freelance basis for TV-channel Belsat
2008-2009 – director of photography at Belsat TV channel in Moscow
2006-2009 – Photographed porcelain collection of a famous Lithuanian-Russian porcelain collector Shabtai Von Kalmanovich
AWARDS
2014
– "Belarus Press Photo" contest, 2nd prize at "Nature" (series) category, 2nd prize at Arts and Entertainment (series) category
2011
– "Belarus Press Photo" contest, "Daily Life" category, 3rd place
EXHIBITIONS AND SCREENINGS
2014
– Group exhibition "ISSP 2014". Kuldiga, Latvia
– Group exhibition "Process". Belarus, Minsk
2011
– Expositions of winners of "Belarus Press Photo" contest (Minsk, Grodno, Vilnius,