Motherland

The result of photographer Simon Roberts' one year journey, Motherland is a bold visual statement about the nature of contemporary Russia 15 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Roberts traveled throughout Russia between July 2004 and August 2005, making pictures in more than 200 locations and creating one of the most extensive, comprehensive photographic accounts of this vast country by a Westerner. His images are not clichéd representations of a Russia ground down by poverty and despair; rather, Roberts presents a beautiful, awe-inspiring land with a dignified people empowered by a growing optimism and a deeply rooted sense of national esteem. Intimate and revealing portraits of contemporary Russians show us a diverse people united by a sense of common identity, while breathtaking landscapes reveal the complexity and uniqueness of the country.