This Friday, February 15, The Institute of Modern Russia (IMR) will launch a new photographic exhibition at the 287 Spring Gallery in New York. The exhibition, by photographer Misha Friedman, explores the reality of corruption in modern Russia and is entitled, “PHOTO51 – Is Corruption in Russia’s DNA?” It will be opened by Friedman, alongside President of the IMR, Pavel Khodorkovsky, and will run until March 2, 2013.

Friedman explained his perspective on the subject in a piece for the New York Times last August, writing that:

“Corruption in Russia is so pervasive that the whole society accepts the unacceptable as normal, as the only way of survival, as the way things “just are.” It is not simply about officials abusing power; it’s also about ordinary people comfortably adapting these principles to their daily lives.

Most Russians have grown so accustomed to a certain lawless way of life that they have come to view corruption as “Russia’s own special way.” They are unsure how their country’s economy, government or social sphere might function without it. This photo essay is an attempt to show that corruption is both a state of mind and a way of life.”

The exhibition will be supplemented by a number of screenings and talks on Russian corruption.

The detailed schedule can be found on the 287 Spring Gallery website