Raising the Curtain combines two series of photographs made by the Ukrainian creative collective Join the Cool, "Kuyalnik" and "Vinietka".

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Kuyalnik

 

Kuyalnik is the name of an estuary situated in the south of Ukraine — neither a sea nor a lake, but a kind of lagoon, a tiny part of the Black Sea. This place is undoubtedly unique: thanks to its medicinal mud, the first mud clinic in the Russian Empire was built here in the XIXth century. Later on in Soviet times the clinic became the biggest sanatorium in Ukraine.

 

Since then it hasn’t changed much: monumental concrete buildings, strict schedule based daily regimens, old people wandering around — all of this gives you the feeling that time stopped here in the 80’s. At the same time, the estuary and its area attract a lot of wedding photographers to shoot "love stories".

 

That’s why Join the Cool decided to combine this mainstream idea with their own vision and perception of this place. They wanted to create a play on the contrast between the sanatorium gloom and the vitality of young real-life couples. Youth is about rebellion, newness and speed: all of the notions that are opposite to Kuyalnik.

 

The story balances on the edge between documentary and art fashion photography — a delicate inbetweenness that inspires this creative collective from Ukraine. That’s why the members of the team often shoot together, yet each one of them keeps the uniqueness of their own style.

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Vinietka

 

Vinietka, meaning "graduation album" in Post-Soviet countries, is a collaborative project that reveals the touching and gloomy reality of school life in Ukraine. This project was shot in schools on the outskirts of Kiev and features young people who are either recent graduates or about to finish school.

 

The "graduation album" is an entirely unique phenomenon, emblematic of the culmination of school years. Ukrainian grads don’t wear gowns nor do they throw caps in the air. Instead, a lot of preparation goes into Vinietka: investing in a photographer, putting on the best make-up, donning the best outfits. Year after year, Post-Soviet grads religiously follow the traditions.

 

A whole bag of stereotypical tricks is employed: from classic Vinietka poses like "fresh grads gaze off into their future" to holding hands and making heart shapes. Staple props and settings are loaded with meaning: a pile of books ("classes have been conquered"), a globe ("the world is your oyster") and of course the stately symbol of school, the school bell!

 

In the Vinietka story, the tricks and clichés are reimagined and recycled for the "Post-Post-Soviet" age. Join the Cool show real graduates, their gawky unpolished sides, the behind-the-scenes boozing and puppy love, the foolishness, the vulnerability, and the growing self-awareness as they emerge from the stifling cocoon of their school years.

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Follow Join the Cool on Instagram @jointhecool