On June 11th, Current Space hosted a special Pride edition of the queer reading series and “esoteric market” Proxima Arcanum. Those who showed up a bit early were in for one more treat: the chance to sit for one of Elena Volkova’s Pride Portraits. BmoreArt readers are likely familiar with Volkova’s intimate, dreamy portraiture from her many frequent contributions and collaborations with the publication, or her work on display at our Connect+Collect gallery in the recent exhibition In Silver and Earth. The photographer works across a variety of media, but her tintypes always feel extra special.
Volkova’s process involves hand-coating a metal plate with collodion and light-sensitive silver nitrate. When exposed in a camera, a direct positive image is left on the surface—forgoing a negative and dark room and the tweaking those steps permit—allowing the sitter and photographer to see their image develop in real time, somewhat like a Polaroid, but with an anachronistic, Victorian charm.
For the second year in a row, Volkova has offered members of Baltimore’s LGBTQ+ the chance to participate in her collaborative portraiture practice—capturing the city’s queers at a time of national political uncertainty and dissent. When we spoke about the project last year [read our full interview here] I was struck by the reassuring immutability of the tintype format—at a time when “subversive” or “undesirable” content, opinions, and even people are increasingly under threat of being disappeared, Volkova’s images are defiantly solid in their indelible objecthood. No algorithm can purge or censor one of these from your mantle.
But the artist was most excited about the chance to facilitate the social act of taking a selfie in a decidedly analog space: “Most joyous to me is to see the community come together, and what kind of the in-between spaces the process creates: people chat, meet each other, talk about their portraits and share insight on posing. As an introvert, I love that.”
Elena Volkova has generously shared some highlights from this year’s event. You can see that joy below:
