Heidi Hollinger
Encyclopedia
Heidi Hollinger is widely credited with having revolutionized political photography in Russia during her 10-year residence in Moscow during the 1990s. Her portraits of leading politicians captured the spirit of Russian cultural emerging from behind the walls of the former Soviet bureaucracy. Her professional exploits and personal life were followed by the national media, making her, in the words of former Canadian Ambassador to Russia, Rodney Irwin, "the best-known Canadian in Russia".
with a Bachelor¹s Degree in Modern Languages. She speaks English, French, Russian, Spanish and some Finnish. In 1991 she moved to Moscow to teach English at Moscow State University
and in 1992 became a graduate student in Political Science
. In 1994 she began working as the first non-Russian photo editor at the leading national daily newspaper Pravda
. In the same year, her first photography exhibit, "Faces of the Opposition", opened at the Moscow Photo Center featuring stylistically unprecedented photographs of Russia's political elite, and was later shown in cities across Russia, as well as in Montreal and Los Angeles.
After opening a photo studio in Moscow, she photographed over 100 political conventions in Russia, and travelled extensively to photograph other world leaders, including Vladimir Putin
, Mikhail Gorbachev
, Jean Chrétien
, Fidel Castro
, and the Dalai Lama
.
In 1995, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
(CBC) produced a 45-minute documentary film entitled Heidi: Une Montréalaise à Moscou, which aired in Canada, the U.K., Japan, Norway and Australia. In 1996, Russia State Television (RTR) named her "photographer of the year".
named her "success of the year". In 2001, a major retrospective of her work, titled "10 years in Moscow", was exhibited at the Canadian Parliament and the Russian Embassy in Ottawa. Between 1999 and 2002 she published five books in Canada, the United States,and Russia. Her photographs have been published in leading publications, including Newsweek
, Time
, Esquire
, the New York Times, Harper's Bazaar
, Macleans, The Globe and Mail
, La Presse, Stern
, Pravda
and Ogonyok
.
In 2002, The Russians Emerge (Abbeville Press, New York) was launched with an exhibition at the Russian Consulate in New York. It documents a great culture in the throes of social and political rebirth through portraits of Russians from across the political and economic spectrum and features a text by Russia expert Jonathan Sanders
and a foreword by Mikhail Gorbachev
.
In 2010 she will be the host of "Ports d'attache" on TV5, a television series taking a look at great coastal cities of history seen from the eyes of the present and the people that make those cities great today. It is also known as "Waterfront Cities of the World" on Discovery World HD which is aired in English.
, the Cirque du Soleil
and the Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art.
Education
In 1990, she graduated from McGill UniversityMcGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
with a Bachelor¹s Degree in Modern Languages. She speaks English, French, Russian, Spanish and some Finnish. In 1991 she moved to Moscow to teach English at Moscow State University
Moscow State University
Lomonosov Moscow State University , previously known as Lomonosov University or MSU , is the largest university in Russia. Founded in 1755, it also claims to be one of the oldest university in Russia and to have the tallest educational building in the world. Its current rector is Viktor Sadovnichiy...
and in 1992 became a graduate student in Political Science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
. In 1994 she began working as the first non-Russian photo editor at the leading national daily newspaper Pravda
Pravda
Pravda was a leading newspaper of the Soviet Union and an official organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party between 1912 and 1991....
. In the same year, her first photography exhibit, "Faces of the Opposition", opened at the Moscow Photo Center featuring stylistically unprecedented photographs of Russia's political elite, and was later shown in cities across Russia, as well as in Montreal and Los Angeles.
After opening a photo studio in Moscow, she photographed over 100 political conventions in Russia, and travelled extensively to photograph other world leaders, including Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
, Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
, Jean Chrétien
Jean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien , known commonly as Jean Chrétien is a former Canadian politician who was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the position for over ten years, from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003....
, Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
, and the Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
.
In 1995, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
(CBC) produced a 45-minute documentary film entitled Heidi: Une Montréalaise à Moscou, which aired in Canada, the U.K., Japan, Norway and Australia. In 1996, Russia State Television (RTR) named her "photographer of the year".
Prizes
In 1998 she was awarded first and third prizes for best photographs in the category "people" in the all-Russian photo contest "Interfoto". In 1999, Russian magazine OgonyokOgonyok
Ogoniok is one of the oldest weekly illustrated magazines in Russia, issued since . It was re-established in the Soviet Union in 1923 by Mikhail Koltsov....
named her "success of the year". In 2001, a major retrospective of her work, titled "10 years in Moscow", was exhibited at the Canadian Parliament and the Russian Embassy in Ottawa. Between 1999 and 2002 she published five books in Canada, the United States,and Russia. Her photographs have been published in leading publications, including Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
, Esquire
Esquire (magazine)
Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
, the New York Times, Harper's Bazaar
Harper's Bazaar
Harper’s Bazaar is an American fashion magazine, first published in 1867. Harper’s Bazaar is published by Hearst and, as a magazine, considers itself to be the style resource for “women who are the first to buy the best, from casual to couture.”...
, Macleans, The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
, La Presse, Stern
Stern (magazine)
Stern is a weekly news magazine published in Germany. It was founded in 1948 by Henri Nannen, and is currently published by Gruner + Jahr, a subsidiary of Bertelsmann. In the first quarter of 2006, its print run was 1.019 million copies and it reached 7.84 million readers according to...
, Pravda
Pravda
Pravda was a leading newspaper of the Soviet Union and an official organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party between 1912 and 1991....
and Ogonyok
Ogonyok
Ogoniok is one of the oldest weekly illustrated magazines in Russia, issued since . It was re-established in the Soviet Union in 1923 by Mikhail Koltsov....
.
In 2002, The Russians Emerge (Abbeville Press, New York) was launched with an exhibition at the Russian Consulate in New York. It documents a great culture in the throes of social and political rebirth through portraits of Russians from across the political and economic spectrum and features a text by Russia expert Jonathan Sanders
Jonathan Sanders
Jonathan Sanders is an American semi-professional basketball player and amateur poet. He has played for teams in Lithuania, Japan, and Taiwan with most of his career spent with the Super Basketball League of Taiwan.- Early life :...
and a foreword by Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
.
In 2010 she will be the host of "Ports d'attache" on TV5, a television series taking a look at great coastal cities of history seen from the eyes of the present and the people that make those cities great today. It is also known as "Waterfront Cities of the World" on Discovery World HD which is aired in English.
Selected exhibitions
- Faces of the Opposition, Moscow Photo Center (1994)
- Faces of the Opposition, Kazan, Tartarstan (1994)
- Faces of the Opposition, Omsk, Russia (1994)
- Building Moscow, Moscow City Hall (1995)
- Faces of the Opposition, Bergamot Station Galleries, Los Angeles (1995)
- Politicians from A to Z, The State Duma, Moscow (1996)
- New Genre: The Russian Political Portrait, Manezh Gallery, Moscow (1996)
- Contemporary Artists, Metropole, Moscow (1996)
- Politicians, Almaty (1998); Saratov (1999)
- Peculiarities of National Politicians, Manezh Central Exhibition Hall, Moscow (1999)
- Peculiarities of National Politicians, The State Duma, Moscow (2000)
- Russians, Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow (2000)
- Russians, Canadian Embassy, Moscow (2000)
- Russians, Mike Bossy, Montreal (2000)
- 100 years of Moscow (as part of group show), Montreal City Hall (2000)
- 10 years in Moscow, Canadian Parliament, Ottawa (2001)
- 10 years in Moscow, Russian Embassy, Ottawa (2001)
- The Russians Emerge, Russian Consulate, New York (2002)
- The Russians Emerge, Philadelphia (2003)
- The Russians Emerge, Cirque du Soleil, Montreal (2003)
- The Russians Emerge, The Arts Factory, Las Vegas (2004)
- The Russians Emerge, Carlu, Toronto (2004)
- The Himalayas, Biosphere, Montreal (2004)
- Selected Histories, Groupe Cossette, Montreal (2004)
- Distinct Society, HollingerCollins Gallery, Montreal (2006)
Collections
Hollinger’s photos can be found in the permanent collections of the Moscow History Museum, the Moscow House of PhotographyMoscow House of Photography
Moscow House of Photography is a Russian museum, which maintains a large collection of old and contemporary Russian photographic masterpieces and also organizes festivals and large scale projects....
, the Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
and the Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art.
Books
- Heidi Chez Les Soviets, Les Intouchables, Montreal, 1999.
- Peculiarities of Russian Politicians, Vagrius, Moscow, 1999.
- Les Russes, Les Éditions Stanké, Montreal, 2000.
- Russians, Vagrius, Moscow, 2000.
- The Russians Emerge, Abbeville Press, New York, 2002.
- Monsieur Poutine, Vous Permettez?, Editions la Semaine, Montreal 2008.
External links
- Heidi Hollinger's website
- "The Heidi Chronicles" McGill News, alumni quarterly, spring 2001