Simon Roberts | Motherland

Simon Roberts

Simon Roberts

Motherland is a bold visual statement about contemporary Russia, fifteen years after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Between July 2004 and August 2005, British photographer Simon Roberts travelled throughout Russia making pictures in over 200 locations and creating one of the most extensive, comprehensive photographic accounts of this vast country by a Westerner.

The resulting images are not clichéd representations of a Russia ground down by poverty and despair; rather, he presents a beautiful and awe-inspiring land, its diverse people empowered by a growing optimism and connected by a shared love of the ‘motherland’. Intimate and revealing portraits of contemporary Russians show us a diverse people, united by a sense of common identity, while breathtaking landscapes reveal the complexity and uniqueness of the country.

“A remarkable photo-essay.” Robert McCrum, The Observer

Simon Roberts was born in London in 1974 and began working as a photographer in 1997. His photo-essays have been widely published throughout the world, including features in Details, Esquire, TheGuardian, Le Monde, Der Spiegel and The Sunday Times.

Awards for his work include the Ian Parry Scholarship (London 1998) and the Magenta Foundation Bright Spark Award (Toronto 2006). He was recently selected in the Independent on Saturday Magazine’s ‘Talent Issue’ as one of the rising stars of 2007.

Motherland has been exhibited in Toronto, Lianzhou (China) and at Paris Photo. Simon is represented by The Photographers’ Gallery in London.