As a photographer during perestroika, Gavrilov focused on young people and their various subcultures. Visitors of the exhibit can see his photos of punks, rockers and bikers. One photo, entitled “I Will Recognize My Darling Through Her Shoes,” shows a woman wearing biker shoes. Another, called “A Stylish Couple,” shows the punk-rock hairstyles of two young people.
Gavrilov’s photos also depict cultural events such as the first international competition for hairdressing, a bikers’ congress, a May Day demonstration and the opening of the first McDonald’s in Russia on Pushkin Square. Rock music very much conveyed the mood of Soviet youth during the period, and so we also see a photo from a Viktor Tsoi concert. There are also photos of the everyday life of the Soviet people at the time: life in a communal apartment, for example, or a young family on a neglected playground in the 1970s.
“These photographs are not meant to mock their subjects. There is no need for it,” Gavrilov said during the exhibition opening. “Photographers should love life, love themselves and the people that surround them, and take photos truthfully.”