Measure of faith
Over the last decade Russian Orthodox Church has begun to take a significant part in political decisions made in the country. Russia is a country where state and church are separate. The Russian Federation constitution declares religious liberty. But over the recent years church and state have become closer. There are so-called Orthodox activists who are heavily involved in religious activism, support church and its values — sometimes in a violent and extreme way. In the USSR any religion was forbidden, and people were exposed to repressions for their religious beliefs. Now we are witnessing a reverse process when society gets involved in religion. And this process is backed up by the state. An Orthodox Christian has become a synonym for a patriot.
The concept “orthodox youth” refers to church-going young people. For many of them faith is a deep personal experience, a source of support, inspiration, and motivation. Some believers think that the Orthodox values and rituals should apply to the whole Russian society.
In my project I study the phenomenon of “orthodox youth” and I try to find out who stands behind this term. I met young people (younger than 33 years old — Jesus Christ’s age) in the Moscow region who identify themselves as “orthodox youth”. I took their portraits in their home interiors. In their homes Orthodox people have krasny ugol (“beautiful corner”) — the corner with icons. Icons depict saints, and show that the people living in this house are religious. I talked with the heroes of my project about their faith. My project allows to create a visual image of young religious Russians.
2016
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