Pete's post is very interesting, in that it indicates that there are no photographic conventions established, yet, for how to deal with the Gulag - which might reflect that the discussion (or actually amount of discussion) is still very much in flux. In fact, now that Russia has descended into a sort of authoritarian quasi-democracy, the Gulag there seems to be evolving into a non-topic, with, for example (one is tempted to write: consequently), the St.Petersburg headquarters of the human rights organisation Memorial being raided just a little while ago.
I'm even a bit tempted to see Anna's refusal to provide explanations as a refusal to provide simple answers. This is not something we are used to any longer: that things might have more facets than just one; and that not getting a simple answer (which allows us to move on) forces one to think. This is where I'm placing contemporary photography, in that open space, where the viewer becomes a participant instead of being merely the recipient of some "fact" (or "truth").
Either way, those more interested in the Gulag might want to have a look at Anne Applebaum's excellent Gulag: A History
