“Photography beyond canon: private collections and vernacular gaze”. A discussion with photography collectors

Abstract

The discussion, held on September 21, 2025, at the “Community” space in St Petersburg, addressed issues directly related to the practice of collecting private and vernacular photography. Vernacular photography — comprising countless amateur snapshots, family albums, and anonymous archives — has long been regarded as cultural noise on the periphery of “authentic” photography. Today, it increasingly captivates historians of the medium, the broader public, and collectors alike. What does a collector value: the image, the subject matter, the technique, the type of paper? What makes anonymous images of others’ private lives compelling, and what ethical considerations govern their handling? How are technologies transforming vernacular photography, and will it endure as collectible object in the future? During this discussion, collectors explored the reasons and circumstances of their practice, the distinctions of vernacular photography culture from the “canonical” tradition, as well as addressed Soviet visual heritage as one of the most sensitive areas of contemporary collecting. The event formed part of the intellectual program of the Private Collections Biennale, organized by the “New Collectors” Foundation, with “Geometry” Foundation as program partner.