Saliut: 90' Issue

Current issue is dedicated to Ukrainian `90s and focuses on individuals, their environment, and how contemporary fascination with `90s aesthetics has ushered in a worldwide revival of the styles of this period. Through selected documentary and artistic photography projects, we offer you a comparison between our warm nostalgic childhood memories and the turbulent and complex reality of that time. This means analyzing the historical progress of Ukraine through the works and memoirs of those who bore witness to the era, while also gaining a better understanding of our present.

For a long time, neither in popular culture nor in public memory, no one wanted to bring up the 90s—those were strange and wild times. However, in recent years, the generation born in the 21st century has become interested in the aesthetics of the 90s. Because of the past, new trends in mass culture began to flourish, uniting different generations in stylistic tendencies despite having a fundamentally different origin. For example, our famous eccentric getups of the 1990s originated in thrift stores, where our parents and we used to dress—not because of environmental awareness, but because of poverty. Nowadays it would have been considered conscious consumption. The reason for the colorful noise imprinted on VHS-cassettes was not for a special visual style, but because cameras and recorders had limited technical capabilities. Today, this aesthetic is experiencing its revival.

Some things inherited from the 90s still influence modern politics and society, shaping our way of thinking. Other things of the past haunt us like a nightmare that no one wants to remember but has to understand. Yet other things with nostalgic aesthetics wither to nourish the myth about the times of infinite freedom and crazy opportunities. And some things remain as warm memories— in street style and film photos.

The issue is supported by Depositphotos, a global creative platform. Together we have prepared a powerful visual journey, accessed through the lenses of talented Ukrainian photographers and artists.