Dek Unu Magazine - Anna Melnikova

The tidal wave of photography from internet-connected cameras in pockets, waist-bands, and seemingly every hand everywhere is part of it. The sudden availability of tools for artificial intelligence and cameraless “virtual” photography is another part. But, as the need for pro technique and a scientific understanding of photo fundamentals has faded away, certain artist-photographers have gone back to analog means and methods, replacing ”easy” and “instant” with slow, difficult, and sometimes “dangerous.” Belarusian artist, Anna Melnikova gives us “The Corridor of Eclipses,” executed in mordançage, a particularly slow, difficult, and definitely dangerous technique, with which she creates what must be described as visual poetry. Hers is work synthesized, not by algorithms and the large language model, but by the eye, hands, and heart of the artist.