Sport photography, a series of nudes, a document, or a study of the ideal of masculinity? Sergii Melnychenko photographed his friends at a gym where they normally train. Nude silhouettes against the background of pistachio painted walls flex their muscles as they exercise, or pose, parodying professional bodybuilders. The cycle does not inscribe itself into any of the conventions just mentioned; instead, it puts them into confrontation with each other, tests them, and pierces them with the sting of irony.

It is difficult to encounter similar images of fitness buffs who aim for perfection, images that are so distant from the standards promulgated by the media, which have become boring a long time ago. Not confined by clothing, not ashamed of their nudity, the exercising men present the shape they’re in-both physically and spiritually. It is easy to make the mistake of looking for true masculinity in the flexed youthful muscles and the hanging genitals. What matters is the fulfillment of dreams, the realisation of the dream about Schwarzenegger-like physical power, defined through work in training sessions and the awareness of the constant transformation of oneself.

 

Works with staged portrait and nude photography. Currently studying at the National University of Shipbuilding. Also working as a freelance photographer and private English teacher. As yet he has had no education in the field of photography or art. Lives in Nikolaev.