Polina Bessonova
What We Know Nothing About (2019)
Polina Bessonova’s photographs are united by a sense of intimacy. “Behind every photo is a story,” she explains, “but I will never tell it”. By withholding the underlying meaning of each of her images, Bessonova opens up a space for the viewer to interact with them from their own perspective. This is one way in which Bessonova’s work is exceptional: although her images are highly personal, emotional, and metaphorical, their sincerity ensures that they are knowable by anyone who encounters them.
There is a sense of honesty in Bessonova’s work; she captures objects and scenes that one encounters in everyday life, often regarded as mundane and consequently neglected of any close observation. She has a particular affinity for capturing light in her images and takes great care to ensure the radiance of each image is maintained during the printing process. The luminous quality of Bessonova’s images in combination with their commonplace subject-matter inspires retrospection and reveals the delicacy, complexity, and meaningfulness of the everyday.
What We Know Nothing About reminds us that we can never truly know the layers of meanings that exist in everyday moments until time passes and these moments become memories. Bessonova’s images help us see the world in a new light: her work encourages us to take a moment to reflect and to simply be with the world and to be with ourselves. ▪︎
Polina Bessonova is a Russian-born photographer based between France and Italy.
Here + There 