"Zona" by Carl De Keyzer, a project spanning from 2000 to 2002 in Siberia, Russia, offers an intricate and multifaceted exploration of the remnants of the Gulag system through a contemporary lens.
De Keyzer's journey into this almost invisible world began somewhat serendipitously, through a teaching opportunity in Krasnoyarsk, a city that once symbolized the inaccessibility and mystery of the Soviet Union due to its strategic military and industrial significance. His project, initially rooted in educational purposes, evolved into a profound documentary endeavor, challenging preconceived notions of imprisonment and freedom, history and its contemporary echoes.
De Keyzer's narrative unfolds in layers, each revealing the complex realities of the Siberian penal colonies, which he categorizes into three distinct types: urban factory camps, remote village camps, and the severe isolation of forest camps. This classification not only serves as a geographical and operational distinction but also as a metaphorical spectrum of visibility and invisibility, control and autonomy, within the penal system and, by extension, Russian society.
The photographer’s approach to this project is particularly noteworthy. Opting for color photography, De Keyzer eschews the traditional, perhaps expected, black-and-white imagery that might evoke a direct lineage to the grim history of the Gulag. Instead, his palette introduces a disarming layer of normalcy and vibrancy to the settings of confinement, suggesting a nuanced spectrum of life within the camps that belies their punitive purpose. This choice complicates the viewer's engagement, forcing a confrontation with the unexpected aesthetics of incarceration and the human capacity to adapt and create within oppressive structures.
The inclusion of constructed and curated scenes by the prison administration, designed to present a rehabilitative and productive environment, introduces a performative dimension to the project. De Keyzer's acknowledgment of these setups—ranging from meticulously arranged prisoner activities to the surreal, almost celebratory appearance of certain camps—does not detract from the authenticity of his work but rather enriches it, offering insights into the narratives that institutions craft about themselves and the power dynamics at play in controlling these narratives.
"Zona" transcends the documentary genre, entering the realm of critical commentary on the post-Soviet transformation of penal spaces and their symbolic significance in the Russian collective memory. De Keyzer’s work prompts reflections on visibility and invisibility, both literal and metaphorical, in the legacies of historical trauma and the ongoing negotiation of identity in spaces marked by control and surveillance.
