You see nothing more than silhouettes. But they are bright, filled with the colours of Kiev: with graffiti, with traffic signs, flowers, leaves, buildings and light. The Kiev based LGBT-activist Stanislav Mishchenko has once again portrayed lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender people of his hometown.

It is Stanislav’s second tomography exhibition which were shown first time  in Munich. Before he impressed many people with his first “K-People” exhibition at the gay communications centre- SUB in the capital of Bavaria. That time he looked directly at his subjects faces; this time he shows only the outlines, but filled with the colourful motifs of Kiev – leaves, flowers, graffiti, tiles and murals. This is thanks to the lomo film technique he uses with double exposures.

The message is always the same: Kiev’s community lives in hidden places, but lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Ukraine do exist! And they constitute the whole diversity of the country just like any other residents of Ukraine. Life is colourful! “It is a shame they are forced to hide their inner beauty”, regrets Mishchenko.

Stanislav Mishchenko puts each of his 30 portraits in a specific order at the exhibition so that all the motifs together form a rainbow. The rainbow stands for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-community in the whole world and for the diversity of life in general. Stanislav’s message is loud and clear : “We exist, we are many. We are part of your life. And together with our surrounding we create beautiful and diverse patterns”.

Canon AE-1

Kodak Ektar 100 film

Double exposition

2013