Among his most notable series is Steelworkers . “I like the sense of professional pride of these people,” the artist explained. “In the time of wild capitalism and aggressive entrepreneurship, I found their choice of an ordinary profession more sympathetic. Driven not by money but by duty, they were, to my mind, the heroes of the time.” Bratkov later explained his decline of interest in such portraits by noting that the epoch of “ordinary heroes” had disappeared in the more p

The second-hand shops were a relatively new and widespread phenomenon in post-Soviet countries, characteristic of the era. For this series, the artist invited some of his friends to pose. 2000. Series of 9 photographs. 70 × 50 cm

At the time, Slava Mogutin was living in Russia and was known primarily as a poet, often described as a kind of new Mayakovsky. Project Kabul Olympics critically juxtaposed the US military occupation of Afghanistan with the Salt Lake City Olympic Games, both of which took place in 2002. The central figure of the series is a soldier-athlete, embodied by Slava Mogutin — a poet, writer, actor, and seasoned provocateur. Moscow-based military uniform collector Sergey Ilyin provide

2001. Video 3'50’’ Installation view: exhibition "Ukraine", Pinchuk Art Center, Kiev, 2010

To make a living, Bratkov worked part-time in the advertising industry at the time. This series was commissioned by a vodka company based in Ossetia, during a period of rapid growth in vodka production in Russia. Many new brands emerged, and to attract attention the agency sought a provocative approach. Bratkov presented the series as a commentary on the nature of early capitalist Russian business. Installation view: advertising billboard for Fayur-Soyuz vodka on the streets

Following the artist’s suggestion, his gallery organised a beach photography competition with both obligatory and free programmes. The series was created using a self-made camera with a fish-eye lens. 2002. Series of 8 photographs. C-print. Ø 16 cm

2003. Series of 5 photographs. C-print. 40 × 27 cm

Gigantic, culturally heterogeneous Moscow apparently dictated to the artist new scale, optics and subject matter. Indeed, soon after he settled there, Bratkov began to create panoramic views of massive gatherings of people celebrating all sorts of national holidays, beer festivals, the city’s birthday and so on. First shown in the Regina gallery in 2002, the project My Moscow was a bold starting point in that direction, which would remain relevant for the artist throughout th

The artist created this series of portraits of Buryat children at one of the official All-Russian exhibitions. The title critically alludes to the colonial and entertaining perception of ethnic minority peoples in official Moscow circles. 2003. Series of 5 photographs. C-print. 75 × 56 cm