Looking for Lenin

On 24 January at 18:30, the Espace Images gallery in Vevey, Switzerland, invites visitors to the opening reception of Looking for Lenin. The exhibition comprises the work of photojournalist Niels Ackermann and Ukraine-based correspondent Sébastien Gobert.

Since the Ukrainian revolution in 2014, and almost 25 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Ukrainian government is trying to remove all traces of the country’s Soviet past. This so-called ‘decommunisation’ officially began in 2015 with the introduction of several laws that prohibit the use of Communist symbols.

Niels Ackermann and Sébastian Gobert went in search of the most significant of those symbols: statues of Lenin. Following their removal, remainders of these monuments can now be found in the most surprising places – in gardens, museums, living rooms, even in the hallways of nuclear power stations. Over the course of two years, the duo has photographed almost 70 Lenin statues and engaged in conversations with their guardians or owners. The result is a fascinating documentary that is as insightful as it is peculiar. A book of the same title has been released by Fuel Publishing, London.

Further information at Espace Images, Fuel Publishing und Niels Ackermann