Unfinished Dissertation by Boris Mikhailov

A collection of works by Ukrainian photographer Boris Mikhailov.

During the Soviet era, in 1984-1985, Boris Mikhailov worked on Unfinished Dissertation. Mikhailov glued photos of his daily life in Kharkiv onto the pages, and wrote in the margins random thoughts, diary-like observations, and quotations from books he had read. These were sometimes poignant, sometimes melancholic reflections on Soviet society, art, and photography. His notes contrast evocatively with the photographs, suggesting that even in the humdrum and banality of life, the human mind and its elastic playfulness will always be the individual’s last resort. A series of critical thoughts, story fragments, and witty, poignant, enigmatic images, the book paves the way for the “artist’s book” to come.

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Title: Unfinished Dissertation
Artist: Boris Mikhailov
Scalo, 1998
Hardcover with dust jacket
295 x 240 mm
220 pages
Text in English
ISBN: 3-931141-97-7