RUNNING THROUGH THE WIND (The Ukraine, 2004)
Only the most exemplary members of the youth movements in the East Bloc were permitted to attend the Artek summer camp in the Crimea.
Twelve-year-old Frank Rothe was nominated for it, but not selected. In the years that followed, he avoided Russia. Because of having to learn Russian as a child, he had an aversion to the country. In 1992 Rothe ended up in Russia by chance, became fascinated with the political revolution there, and decided to learn the language well at last. In order to get a better picture of Russian youth, he visited Artek in 2004. It was now a summer camp the size of a small city, where children whose parents could pay for the privilege could spend their vacation. Rothe photographed the holiday-makers unobtrusively, without tripods or flash units. Although the political dimension had disappeared, for Rothe it was a step back in time. Life in Artek still moves more slowly than in the West, and a sense of community is still central. Rothe titled his series RUNNING THROUGH THE WIND because the youth of Artek now have to manage without the certainties and clear-cut future promised in the communist era.
