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Katerina Plotnikova
Untitled
circa 2013
Such an unusual fur coat for a bear. A luminous silky grey, its sheen resembles that of a beautiful soft toy animal that one might dream of receiving for Christmas, or that one reads of in a Hans Christian Andersen tale. But in fact, this bear is alive.
Nestled lightly onto the mossy carpet, the bear’s hind supports its squatting upper body, posed in such a way that it almost defies being a bear at all. Its role is perhaps like that of Lewis Carroll’s White Rabbit: half gentleman, half beast, it lures in the curious maiden with a fairy tale-like charisma. Its head sits slightly lower than that of the lady it coaxes as if to convince her of its devotedness or even submission; and its paws, usually menacing and sharply-clawed, are now just four tender pillows, unlikely to even mark the soft ground. But what can one observe in this scene that might reveal its true narrative? Does the lush crowd of pines simply serve as an elegant backdrop to the surreal couple, or does it warn of a looming and cleverly-disguised danger? As for the maiden’s dress, why is it so characteristically pink and yet soiled and frumpy at the bottom? Is she as pure or harmless as we first assumed? In fact, who is really playing whom?
Had Plotnikova intended for this photograph to show a contemporary perspective on the classic fairy tale image, then she would have done just that. But a closer look bares the fact that the few but prominent details add up to anything but such an image. Of course, not all fairy tales are good, and in this scene there definitely lies a sinister something that is more mischievous than innocent.
