The exhibition The Quit Life of Objects presents original photographic prints by Russian and international artists from the ROSPHOTO collection. The exhibition features works by Alexander Slyusarev, André Fage, Peter Miller, Boris Smelov, Sergey Rogozhkin, Alexander Kitaev, Alexey Titarenko, Mikhail Garus, Alexey Zelensky, and other renowned photographers. In the second half of the 20th century, explorations of photographic genre language led to a new understanding of still life. Once perceived as a static composition, it began to be seen as a changing image of the material world. 

The prints presented in the exhibition reflect various aspects of the life of objects: the qualities of form and texture, the relationships between objects, and their interaction with the surrounding space. One of the first Russian photographers to approach still-life compositions within the context of urban and everyday life was the Moscow-based photographer Alexander Slyusarev. In his work, still life came to be understood as a reflection of the living processes of objects encountered on the street or in domestic interiors. These compositions cannot be defined as urban landscapes or interior photography; rather, they function as portraits of objects engaged in a visual dialogue with one another world.

A different approach is represented by the Leningrad photographer Boris Smelov. He constructed his compositions and observed them over time. As time passed, objects changed: dust settled on their surfaces, and sunlight penetrating glass produced reflections and highlights. Smelov waited for a particular state of the objects, allowing him to convey the essence of a moment through small details. In his still lifes, objects from the past reinforce the character of the Leningrad–St Petersburg environment of the late 20th century. Having lost their utilitarian function, elegant and forgotten objects acquire a new status, becoming part of contemporary reality through the photographer’s vision.

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Despite the diversity of artistic methods, the works on view reveal points of convergence. For example, the photograms of the St Petersburg artist Alexander Kitaev resonate with the prints of European photographers André Fage and Giuliano Tramontini. What unites them is a shared interest in conveying the texture and surface of objects. Through framing, the glass of a vase or a tumbler is transformed into an abstract composition.

By seeking to capture the changing states of objects, the artists reveal qualities that often remain hidden in everyday perception. Their works invite viewers to look beyond utilitarian function and discover the aesthetic nature of things.