David Hlynsky “Window-Shopping Through the Iron Curtain”
David Hlynsky was born on the shores of the Great Lakes in the US of A, but has his genetic roots nestled in Poland. As he got older, he realised that the depressing anti-Soviet US propaganda couldn’t all be true; so, in ’86, he decided to visit his ancestral home – Kraków.
In the late 80’s and early 90’s, as Soviet power slowly ebbed away and Eastern Europe began to regain its independence, David Hlynsky embarked on an insightful photo project. He decided that, rather than photograph the tumult, the fighting, the daily grind, he would focus on one aspect: shop windows.
“Between 1986 and 1990, I made approximately 8,000 color, Hasselblad images on the streets of Communist Europe. I purposely avoided dramatic moments and newsworthy events. In a cityscape without commercial seduction, banality seemed to signify everything.”
The images he took are striking in their monotony. A genuine, bleak and wonderful joy.
To see more of Hlynsky’s photography check here:
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