Serbian Photographer Exposes Stunning Photos Of Daily Life In Moscow, Russia You’ve Never Seen Before
Welcome to Boogie’s Moscow. These are people sculpted by a brutal, concrete landscape, fighting to survive. This is a world of football hooligans, gang tattoos, boxing… Yet this is not misery porn: There is an inherent vitality in the violence–the enduring toughness–of these images. There is dynamism, there is esprit de corps, there is strength.
“Raw” is a term that is perhaps overused, but Boogie’s photos truly assault the senses. But the photographer’s arresting gaze is directly returned by his subjects, and an undeniable rapport and intimacy is felt by the viewer. We are witnessing something, above all, crucially human.
“The first time I visited Moscow, I felt like I had found my tribe. A big, powerful, lost tribe. Us Serbs always regarded Russians as our Orthodox Christian brothers; our historical friends and protectors. When you first meet them, Russians are very cold and reserved. But when they get to know you, they will give you everything. Russians are very strong: walking around Moscow, you see 50, 60, 70-year old people who could rip your head off!
When I’m in a foreign city, I shoot like a madman. I walk and shoot 15 hours a day. Moscow is huge; it’s very hard to cover photographically. It’s hard to do it justice. I think, with this book, I only scratched the surface,” he wrote.
Born and raised in Belgrade, Serbia, Boogie began photographing rebellion and unrest during the civil war that ravaged his country during the 1990s. Growing up in a war-torn country defined Boogie’s style and attraction to the darker side of human existence.
He moved to New York City in 1998. He has published six monographs, IT’S ALL GOOD (powerHouse Books, 2006), BOOGIE (powerHouse Books, 2007), SAO PAULO (Upper Playground, 2008), ISTANBUL (Upper Playground, 2008), BELGRADE BELONGS TO ME (powerHouse Books, 2009) and A WAH DO DEM (DRAGO, 2016). He has shot for high profiled clients and has been published in world renowned publications. His recent solo exhibitions include Paris, New York, Tokyo, Milan, Istanbul and Los Angeles. Boogie lives in Brooklyn and all over the world.
More: Boogie, “Moscow” by Boogie book
