Unprecedented forest

The Bryansk Forest Reserve was created on the territory of ancient forests of the Bryansk region of Russia, in the interfluve of the Desna and Nerussarivers. The creation of the reserve allowed to preserve the passing, rare landscape. Any interference in the life of animals is prohibited in the reserve. It is forbidden to collect plants, to fish, to hunt. The state of nature is under constant observation and research of the reserve’s scientists. Man here is not a part of nature, but only an impassive guardian. During 7 days I observed the relationship between man and nature in the reserve. I wondered how close their relationship is in this form.

Varvara’s heritage

Varvarina hermitage is the name of the St Seraphim’s Orthodox women’s monastery, which is located near Omsk. The monastery began with a chapel, which was built by the abbess of the monastery – Varvara. In the distant past, Varvara, left alone with several children after the death of her husband, prayed, asked for help, gave lunch – to build a convent. When the children grew up, she went into the forest from the worldly bustle and dug a dugout, in which she lived for 13 years. With her own she cut down the chapel. Now on the territory, in addition to chapels, a temple has been built. Every day people come to Abbess Varvara with a request for blessing and with a desire to work in the monastery. She gives her blessing for work, but what exactly to do and how long to stay, decides, looking at the person. Each of them, in the time allotted to them. is left to himself, away from the hustle and bustle of the world, while Mother prays for them in her cell.

Island

I am traveling through a district of St. Petersburg, created by artificial means  – “reclamation”. Man always needs more: more achievements, more things, more territories. When there is not enough land, people create new land. In this way, people do not consider the interests of other species, nor the interests of people living in border areas. I interview local people living in the new neighborhood of Vasilyevsky Island and beyond in order to understand and accept the consequences of these changes.

Nadezhda Krylova (b. 1986, St. Petersburg) studied Documentary Photography at the School of Modern Photography Docdocdoc in St. Petersburg between 2019 and 2021.

She centers her works on the subject of identity as well as the relationship between the personal and the social borders, and takes great interest in different cultures and societies.

Awards and acknowledgements include Finalist, LensCulture Portrait awards 2021; Shortlisted, the Felix Schoeller Photo Award 2021; World Photography Organisation’s Sony World Photography Awards 2022; Julia Margareth Cameron award 2021; BarTur Photo award 2022; Semi-finalist, Head On Portrait Award 2021; Winner, BEARR Trust 30th Anniversary Photography Competition “Side by Side”.

Exhibitions incluede Life along the Shelon River – The Сenter of Сontemprorary Art “Miracle” (Kursk, Russia), “The frog house”, Art Gallery of the Local History Museum (Beryoza town, Belarus republic), 6th Biennial of Fine Art & Documentary Photography, FotoNostrum gallery (Barselona, Spain), I live in Russia, XVI International forum “Dialogue of Cultures”, The State Hermitage Youth Education Center (Saint-Petersburg, Russia), Online photography exhibition “Side by Side”, The BEARR Trust (London, UK), and PhotoTop. The exhibition of contemporary Russian photography at the Gallery of Classical Photography (Moscow, Russia).