“矫饰的门面”源自于Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin时期的俄罗斯俗语。据说，在1787年俄国叶卡捷琳娜二世在位时期，有位臣子将女皇巡游经过的村庄沿途都竖起绘制的假立面来博取其欢心。

在“Closed Cities”系列作品之后，Gregor Sailer再次用镜头描绘了以政治，军事和经济为驱动的建筑表现形式，从美国和欧洲的作战训练中心，到热衷于复制欧洲小镇的中国，再到瑞典的车辆试点城市，并最终来到俄罗斯位于金环地区的苏兹达尔。这座城市曾经在俄罗斯总统普京途经于此去往乌法市举行三重峰会时，将整条街道都隐藏在铺着铝箔，墙纸和防水油毡布的假立面之后，将原本废弃的建筑佯装出活跃的氛围。Sailer的照片给予观察者一个审视虚假，复刻和矫饰世界的视角，让人们正视这些当代社会中的荒唐举动。

瑞典，Carson City / Sweden, Carson City © Gregor Sailer, Courtesy Kehrer Galerie

According to legend, the phrase »Potemkin village« can be traced back to the Russian field marshal Prince Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin. In 1787, the minion of Catherine the Great purportedly had entire villages erected as painted façades along the paths of her travels to the recently conquered Crimean territory in an effort to veil the true, run-down face of the region.

Following Closed Cities (Kehrer 2012), Gregor Sailer’s new project once again presents actual architectural manifestations driven by political, military, and economic motives: combat training centers in the USA and Europe, faithful replicas of European cities in China, and vehicle test cities in Sweden. And finally, a classical Potemkin village in Russia, where, on the occasion of a visit by Vladimir Putin to Suzdal on the Golden Ring and a triple summit in the city of Ufa, whole streets were masked with adhesive foil, wallpaper, and tarpaulins in an effort to provide the abandoned buildings with a feigned sense of activity. Sailer’s pictures give the viewer access to the world of fakes, copies, and stage sets and call these at times absurd aberrations of our contemporary society into question.

中国，泰晤士小镇 / China, Thames Town © Gregor Sailer, Courtesy Kehrer Galerie

中国，泰晤士小镇 / China, Thames Town © Gregor Sailer, Courtesy Kehrer Galerie

法国，Complexe de Tir en Zone Urbaine / France, Complexe de Tir en Zone Urbaine © Gregor Sailer, Courtesy Kehrer Galerie