For more than 27 years, Belarus has been ruled by Alexander Lukashenko. What does it mean to grow up under those circumstances?
Artist: Julia Autz
Project: While I was Waiting (2017-2019)
Due to the ongoing repressions, there are less and less people that are resisting. Those who stay have to adapt, take refuge in indifference or preserve their freedom within. Passive, disaffected and clueless, they have to come to terms with the rules of the regime.
My work deals with young people who are searching for individuality which is not desired in Belarus. Self-realization can only take place in private space whereas young people in public are forced to adapt. Instead of getting involved in politics, people withdraw themselves into privacy.
All of my photographs were taken before summer 2020 and show the situation prior to the protests: a hopeful waiting for change.
© Julia Autz
editor & curator : Massimiliano Corteselli