In Michal Chelbin's new series "Locked," she photographs prisoners throughout Russia and the Ukraine:
When I record a scene, my aim is to create a mixture of plain information and riddles, so that not everything is resolved in the image. Who is this person? Why is he dressed like this? What does it mean to be locked up? Is it a human act? Is it fair? Do we punish him with our eyes? Can we guess what a person’s crime is just by looking at his portrait? Is it human to be weak and murderous at the same time?
(Photo: Young Prisoners, Juvenile Prison, 2009 by Michal Chelbin)
The Dish 