Bez Graniz - Acropolis: how...

In our culture, we admire the beauty of ancient Greek statues. However, we ignore an obvious fact – the absence of body parts: hands, legs, heads… We call it “classic beauty”.
In our culture it is common to turn away from people who are lacking some body parts. We consider this as ugliness.
We were taught to look at people in this way. Or, rather, not to look. And we don’t.
The “Acropolis: How I Found my Body” project suggests that we look and see the beauty of “different” human bodies though a parallel with ancient Greek art. It was created in order to attract more people to an open, intellectual conversation about the body and disability in the world today.
The project’s main photo panel shows the bodies of ten young models who lived though amputations; their bodies visually echo antique statues, extant in fragments. This visual similarity enables us to look at people with “different” bodies through the parallel of the beauty of ancient statues, to look at them without fear and enmity toward this “otherness”.
The photo essay which documents the shooting process became an independent photo project in itself. In contrast with the detached aesthetics of the main photo panel, these photos allow the models to be seen as living, bright, humorous people, able to overcome their injuries with inspiring dignity. Thus, reportage shooting is a necessary part of the artistic expression, emphasizing the importance of the personality for the perception of physical beauty in all its diversity. Moreover, these photos show both the technical complexity of the process, and the people who stayed behind the scenes, but are the rightful “architects of the Acropolis.”

1. Acropolis: how I found my body: Nikola Melnikov - Live at Fairlane Acoustic
2. The Creation of Acropolis: TECHNOKITSCH - Body Language
3. What they say about “Acropolis”: EXIT project – Сloser to the end
4. Creators of “Acropolis”: IN-R-VOICE - Deep Reach (Psybient Remix)
5. The “Bez Graniz” Culture Center: Siba.pro - The Last Romanticist
6. Sponsors: Oleg Sirenko - Moscow-Cassiopeia