The exhibition presents photographs that repeat the plots of paintings by famous artists. Their characters were portrayed by people with Down syndrome, using the acting skills they received in rehearsals.
The photo project introduces the capabilities of a person with Down syndrome, his personality, preferences in art, the ability to make choices, understand the image, convey emotion, empathize and feel his character, to the average viewer. This helps to fight against the negative attitude of society towards people with developmental disabilities, and allows a wide audience to learn more about people with Down syndrome.
In the course of the project, its participants independently chose works for transformation, and the teachers of the theater workshop helped them with this, and they together analyzed the image, plot and emotions of the characters.
The title of the project, “What’s the Difference”, invites the viewer to reflect on whether the difference between an ordinary person and a person with developmental disabilities in art and life is important; whether the difference between us is an element for defining individuality, and it is important to identify and accept it; the difference between an original work and a photograph; what character and what moment of his life is captured for us; think about what is common between the viewer and the image on the original painting and in the photo project.
Actors Ivan Nastasov, Ivan Popov, Yuri Bubnov, Stanislav Bogdanov, Evseniya Teleshinina, Varvara Verkhova, Rimma Ismailova, Lyubov Shalonskaya, Gleb Kozlov, Alexey Semyonov, Asya Makhovskaya, Mikhail Shefer, Marina Mashtakova, Svetlana Kislyakova, Grigory Danishevsky, Grigory Kolomiets, Dmitry Ivlev, and Yegor Stepanov took part in the project.
Photographer: Vsevolod Volokolamsky.
Costume designer: Anna Manovitskaya.
Make-up: Zhivek Samudinova.
Art expert of the project: Polina Lyubimova.
Head of the theater workshop of the Downside Up Charity Foundation: Nikolay Ilnitsky.
Where the event will take place: VDNH, the Slovo Museum of Slavic Literature, the Agriculture Pavilion (No. 58)
Entrance by tickets to the Slovo Museum
