Long Beach : Sister City Group Exhibits Photos From Russia, Siberia

Russian and Siberian photographers are exhibiting their works in the downtown library--a result of the controversial sister city program Long Beach established with the Soviet Union in 1987.

At the time, Jewish leaders urged the City Council against establishing a sister city program with Sochi, a resort town on the Black Sea. The council appeased most of the Jewish leaders by stipulating that human rights issues, including free emigration, would be “on top of the agenda” in meetings and discussions with Sochi residents.

As part of the cultural, education and trade exchanges that mark sister city programs, about 35 photographs will be on exhibit through April 30 at the main library, 101 Pacific Ave. Many of the photographs convey scenes of daily life in Siberia. Others are self-expressive art pieces, according to the sponsors, the Long Beach-Sochi Sister City Committee.

The photographs include the works of Andrey Pashis, a respected Siberian photographer. Pashis has won laureate awards in European photographic competitions and the 1989 silver medal in photography at the Exhibition of Economic Achievement in Moscow, according to the sponsors.