The Siberian-born Slava Mogutin was exiled from Russia in 1995 because of writings that supposedly incited “malicious hooliganism,” sexual perversion, and a host of other calamities.

He was only 21 at the time. Surely, his best years were ahead.

Mogutin relocated to New York City and soon became the toast of the demi-monde with his raw, uninhibited photographic portraits of young males on the fringe and on the make: Punks, skinheads, and assorted sexual outlaws. The urban, underground aesthetic of these images speaks of obsession, danger, and forbidden sex.

Naturally, that all makes Mogutin a fine fit with Ottawa’s La Petite Mort Gallery, where there is never any art too outrageous to exhibit. Mogutin and his artistic partner Brian Kenny will have an exhibition there from Sept. 2 to Oct. 2 called Interpenetration.

In the following interview, Mogutin discusses censorship, his subjects, and the line between pornography and art. (more…)