Boris Mikhailov’s multifaceted photographic oeuvre includes social reportage, self-staging, and photo collages. As an autodidact, he began photographing people in the 1960s, initially drawing on his immediate circle and depicting scenes from everyday life. In the former Soviet Union, photography mainly served propaganda purposes and was not officially recognized as an artistic medium. The lack of exhibition opportunities and strict censorship led Mikhailov to collect his works in photo books. He gained international fame through his extensive photo series Case History, which also serves as the motif for the n.b.k. edition. Taken in 1997–98 in his native Kharkiv, Ukraine, the photographs show the darker side of perestroika, such as how the disintegration of social structures led to homelessness. Mikhailov’s images offer intimate views of marginalized groups in the periphery of their existence: in neglected interior spaces, on the street, or in a field. He views his portraits not only as studies of misery, but also as metaphors of life, hinting at closeness, intimacy, and affection.

Boris Mikhailov’s works have been exhibited worldwide including at: C/O Berlin (2019); Staatliche Kunsthalle Baden-Baden (2019); Ukrainian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale (2017); Museo d’Arte Contemporanea Donna Regina, Naples (2015); Sprengel Museum Hannover (2013); Berlinische Galerie (2012); Museum of Modern Art, New York (2011); Tate Modern, London (2010); Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna (2010).