With a keen focus on lens-based art that engages with urgent cultural and political realities, FORM Magazine turns its attention to Those who talk in the temple are consigned to sorrow and woe, a powerful body of work by Russian artist
Vladimir Seleznev. Known for his critical reflections on ideology, visual language, and the contradictions of collective identity, Seleznev explores contemporary Russian Orthodoxy as a system of symbolic and political control.
Merging documentary strategies with visual references to religious iconography, the project offers a nuanced portrayal of a society where faith, tradition, and authoritarian power are deeply entangled. Speaking to FORM, the artist reflects on the motivations behind the work, the challenges of speaking to different audiences, and the role of photography as both a mirror and a provocation.