Portrait series: youth of Dagestan

The Republic of Dagestan is located in the North Caucasus region of Russia, and is one of the most conservative Islamic regions in Russia.

Working as a photographer in Dagestan, I focussed on observing and capturing the contemporary paradigm of the region in throes of process(es) of redefinitions and powerful cultural influences and shifts. I aimed to capture both nostalgia and irony with my lens; to capture the people (including social and national identities), the look of the cities, instances of the preserved Soviet legacy, and the extraordinary landscape of the entire Republic.

The leitmotif of this series is a portrait of a generation. People who grew up in an environment of depreciation of their culture, but nevertheless figured out how to return to their roots. A project about a generation in which I see endless potential and texture. A project that includes the entire history of my Makhachkala period and puts an end to it. Five years of my life and work here - in faces and landscapes.