Alexey Vasilyev
Calvert 22 Foundation is proud to announce that Alexey Vasilyev from Russia has been named the winner of the New East Photo Prize 2020 for his project Sakhawood. The prize is presented by Calvert 22 Foundation and The Calvert Journal to give an international platform to photographers of the New East – Eastern Europe, the Balkans, Russia and Central Asia – and provide a unique glimpse into the self-identity of this underrepresented region and the lives of its people.
Alexey Vasilyev
Alexey Vasilyev
Alexey Vasilyev
Alexey Vasilyev
Alexey Vasilyev
Alexey Vasilyev
Alexey Vasilyev (b. 1985, Yakutsk, Russia) is a documentary photographer focusing on the everyday lives of people in Yakutia and the Russian North. Vasilyev began his photographic career in 2010 as a reporter for a local newspaper covering stories about young people. In 2017, he became a member of the Russian Union of Photographers. In 2018, he enrolled at St Petersburg’s school of Russian contemporary photography, Docdocdoc. His photographs have been published in publications including The Guardian, National Geographic, National Geographic (Russia), Wired, The Calvert Journal, Meduza, It’s Nice That, Takie Dela (Russia), Lenta.ru (Russia), LensCulture, MoscowTimes, MyModernMet.
As the winner of the New East Photo Prize 2020, Vasilyev will receive a cash prize of £1,000 to further develop his work, as well as exposure to an international audience through The Calvert Journal.
Sakhawood invites us behind the scenes of Yakutia’s remarkable independent film industry, where up to 10 feature length films are shot per year and where local movies outrank international blockbusters.
“Yakutian films are shot for little money. Film production costs somewhere between 1-2 million rubles, which is modest even by most Russian standards,” says Alexey Vasilyev.
Though a majority of directors and actors that Vasilyev photographs have no formal education in film, Yakutia’s movies have found success at international festivals in Europe and Asia. The movies range from romantic comedies to fairy tales and are based on local legends and beliefs. With his project, Vasilyev wanted to show that “Yakutia is famous not only for its -60 C° temperatures and gold mining” but is also a home to superb cinematic talent. “Most directors don’t make a living from just making films. That doesn’t stop them in their ambitions to win over audiences in Russia and across the world.”
“I am delighted with the news,” he adds. “I am currently on a trip documenting reindeer herders in a remote village in Russia. It has been a surprise to hear the news. I am proud to be a winner among such a strong shortlist of projects.”
Two special prizes have also been awarded as part of this year’s competition. New East Photo Prize judge Davide Monteleone and Spazio Labo’ presented the Mentorship Award to Uzbek photographer Hassan Kurbanbaev. His project Logomania: Owning the World at Half Price examines Uzbekistan’s obsession with Western luxury brands through staged photos featuring counterfeit Chanel and Gucci products. Kurbanbaev will be invited to attend the Tutorship in Visual Storytelling training course organised by Davide Monteleone and Spazio Labo’, offering individual coaching for visual storytellers in their early career.
Hassan Kurbanbaev
Marina Istomina
Marina Istomina
Marina Istomina
Moscow-based photographer Marina Istomina, originally from Ust-Kut, Siberia, has been awarded a £500 voucher for photography for her series Suffocation, made in response to the wildfires that ravaged through Siberia and the Russian Arctic in 2019.
The finalists / Shortlisted:
Agnieszka Sejud, Hoax.
Alexey Vasilyev, Sakhawood.
András Ladocsi, Swallow.
Hassan Kurbanbaev, Logomania: Owning the World at Half Price.
Igor Elukov, The Book of Miracles.
Ilir Tsouko, Starting Over: From the Donbass to Chernobyl.
János R. Szabó, Stories along the Öreg-Túr River.
Justyna Górniak, Haytarma.
Lilith Matevosyan, I had left my home early in the morning.
Marina Istomina, Suffocation.
Tomasz Liboska, Turn Around.
Agnieszka Sejud
Agnieszka Sejud
Igor Elukov
András Ladocsi
András Ladocsi
Lilith Matevosyan
Lilith Matevosyan
János R. Szabó
Ilir Tsouko
Ilir Tsouko
Launched in 2016, the New East Photo Prize seeks to broaden perceptions of the New East through the medium of photography. It is a Calvert 22 Foundation initiative supported by its award-winning online magazine, The Calvert Journal. The biennial prize received over 700 entries this year from 26 New East countries.
New East Photo Prize 2020
Calvert 22
Visit the award page >
