AES+F is a collective made up of four Russian artists who have been working together since 1995. The group takes its name from the initials of its members: Tatiana Arzamasova, Lev Evzovich, Evgeny Svyatsky and Vladimir Fridkes. AES+F focus primarily on conceptual art in the form of photography installations that articulate the divide between Eastern and Western culture. Inspired by actual events publicized in the media, AES+F’s group projects portray people in startling relationships with their environment.

The large portraits of teenaged Russian girls that compose Suspects: Seven Sinners and Seven Righteous appear entirely commonplace. The fresh-faced, healthy looking girls posing typically for their age could all be friends or classmates. In fact, seven of the girls were selected from local schools in Moscow, and the remaining seven are convicted murderers, photographed in the reformatories where they live. The installation poses the question, “Who is the sinner and who is the righteous?” The artists invite spectators to answer this question, to determine through a careful evaluation of their features, which girls represent good and which represent evil.

The first person to correctly identify which girls are “sinners” and which are “righteous” will receive a photograph from this series.

14 photographs, each 68 x 47 inches