Eddie Opp

Sight from the side

Eddy Opp

Now in the Moscow House of Photography is closing a personal exhibition of famous photojournalist, who works for newspaper «Kommersant», Eddy Opp. The name of this exhibition is «A look from the inside». It is not very big and it, certainly, cannot fit even a half of all the works of this journalist. But in those pictures, that you can find here, you can notice the ability of Eddy Opp to see those things, that other people can’t see. Through his photos, open new faces of the famous people, new aspects of the wide-known events. The big career of Eddy Opp as photojournalist has begun exactly in Russia, when he in 1990 entered the Leningrad State University for studying Russian language. From 1992, he cooperates with a newspaper «Kommersant». Many people, probably, noticed unusual and vivid illustrations of «Kommersant». On this unrepeatable and popular face of the newspaper Eddy Opp is working for 11 years. He goes to make a reporting about some event with other photographers from other newspapers, but he always notices something, that his colleagues cannot see. He looks at the world, that surrounds him, differently. Is it is the tragedy with seizure of the Buddenovsk, he makes such photos of the freed women with babies on their arms, that our hearts squeeze from sorrow. If it is a reporting from the village Gorbachevo, then his works show us all the poorness of the village life. If he goes to Groznii, he sees the absurd combination of peaceful and military lives, he sees people, who ride bicycle and carry guns in their hands. Eddy Opp does not photograph only events. At the exhibition, we see many portraits of the famous actors, politicians and singers. In some of those works is amazing, thin humor — like, for example, a photo from the meeting of Boris Eltzin and Tzyan Tzemin, where both of the politicians are looking above their heads. On other photos is active movement, energy, like on the portrait of the conductor Rastropovich. In some people, Eddy Opp sees something that is very important, the main trait of the character. For example, it is a mysterious look of Alla Pugatcheva from the window of the car.

Even though Eddy Opp first of al journalist is a journalist, it’s possible to say that he devoted his life to the art. It is an art of the photo reporting, an art to create unrepeatable pictures from those places, where everyone has been, an art to make unusual portraits of famous people.

Maria Burasovskaya