In the summer of 2004, Simon Roberts began a year-long journey across Russia, covering more than 47,000 miles, crossing eleven time zones, and making pictures in over 200 locations. The result is Motherland, a book published this year, and an exhibition opening tonight at Klompching Gallery, in DUMBO.

He began in Russia's Far East, in the arctic region of Murmansk, and on the Kamchatka Peninsula. Traveling through Siberia and the Urals, he made his way toward Moscow, stopping in areas with names somewhat more familiar to Western eyes. Roberts was accompanied by his wife, Sara, who had studied Russian and acted as translator. For the most part, they arranged to stay with families in order to get a more personal view of this vast country and its people.

Photographs from  Motherland by Simon Roberts, courtesy of Klompching Gallery

Fascinated by the idea of Russia since childhood, Roberts found that most of the people he met had a profound connection with the landscape and their homeland, and that there still exists a sense of the "Russian soul." In a conversation at the gallery yesterday, he said, "One of the greatest achievements of the Soviet system was their ability to move large groups of people to where they were needed for work, and to provide the same kind of education to everyone.

Photographs from  Motherland by Simon Roberts, courtesy of Klompching Gallery

"The result is that wherever you go, you find the same language being spoken, whether you are in a tiny hamlet or a large city. Again and again," he said, "I heard people speak of their surroundings in terms of krasivia, which is about the beauty of belonging to the place where you were born." He went on to say, "I came to understand that Russians see beauty where an outsider might only see decaying apartment blocks or featureless landscapes. They share a belief that their native land is a remarkable place and convey an optimism about it that goes beyond patriotism."

The landscapes on view give a sense of the vastness of post-Soviet Russia, still geographically the world's largest country. Near the entrance is an image depicting a campsite in the majestic wilderness of Kamchatka Peninsula. The photograph to its left, showing a hotel lounge with an enormous mural of Lake Baikal, makes a wry comment about the view outside the windowless room. Among the portraits are the identical twins, Elena and Vera Karnova, identically dressed and holding hands at a bus stop. At a market in Pyatigorsk, a female butcher wearing a lacy apron and sleeves over her heavy winter jacket presides glamorously at a counter laden with huge slabs of meat.

The book published by Chris Boot Ltd., with over 150 photographs, expands mightily on the selection of prints on display here. Russian sayings, such as "The Holy Russian land is great, and everywhere the sun shines," along with quotes from literature, and informative captions by the photographer, underscore Roberts' optimistic view of contemporary Russia.

Motherland by Simon Roberts is the inaugural exhibition at Klompching Gallery, 111 Front Street, 2^nd Floor, Brooklyn. The opening reception with the artist is tonight from 6 to 9 pm. The exhibition runs through December 23.