Alexandra Anikeeva

Posted on January 28 2016

Alexandra Anikeeva is a russian photographer engaged in the documentary field. Her studies in geography at the University of Stavropol direct Alexandra's interests towards travels and cultures, an interest that grows all together towards photography

Alexandra Anikeeva is a russian photographer engaged in the documentary field, her studies in phography at the University of Stavropol direct Alexandra's interests towards travels and cultures, an interest that grows all together towards photography and that drives Alexandra to study photography and photojournalism in Saint Petersburg and work on the documentary front.

Her first success comes with the participation at a photo contest for young photographers organized by the Swedish Institute in 2009 and followed by other exhibitions.

Alexandra's photography projects aim to address some questions about local communities in Russia and Caucasus region countries, projects that as a whole expose both cultural and social conditions from which an emotional component emerges, capturing the identity and the human personality of the represented subjects. These documentary photographies leave room to a direct involvement of the photographer not only to the represented people, but also to the places which the author is interested to testify. As illustrated in the series presented by LoosenArt, the images from the Caucasus region have a significant importance in the artist’s personal life and in the history of the many nations inhabiting this region.

Alexandra's photographs clearly demonstrate an attention towards the relationship between the humans, their conditions and their places, three aspects that are strongly related to each other and share the same tune, aspect that confers further and greater suggestions to the images of this photographer.

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L.A.: Hello Alexandra, to start can you tell us about your first approach to

photography?

Alexandra Anikeeva: My first approach to photography related to my father. He

was very fond of taking pictures. In the early 1990s he bought a compact

Polaroid camera. In Russia it was very popular. For me it was like a game and I

also was charmed by this simple magic of photography.

L.A.: Can you tell us a little about your series presents at LoosenArt

Gallery? What led work in Caucasus?

Alexandra Anikeeva: The Caucasus region is my homeland, my passion and

the place where I started taking pictures. Ever since I was a child, I have been

fascinated by the essential unreality of the Caucasian mountains and nature.

Now for me important to explore the relationship between space and people. I

try to find my own place in this conversation. What began as a personal journey

has translated into images taken in Russia and Turkey.

"Night in Kars"

"Grandpa Khachatur" │ Buy it

L.A.: How do you choose what or who to photograph, what are you

looking to capture?

Alexandra Anikeeva: Photography process mainly intuitive for me. Usually,

when I take pictures, I try to stop any outside thoughts and focus on my

feelings.

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L.A.: Can you comment one image from those presents at LoosenArt?

Can you say something about meanings, concepts or memories inspired

by that particular image..

Alexandra Anikeeva: Grandpa Khachatur Kazarov (86) resting in his house.

He live with his son's family in Edissya village in Stavropol region. Armenians

from Edissya have a hard story of migrations, lost their native language, but still

keep faith of their ancestors.

L.A.: Are you working on any other projects currently? Have you any

future project?

Alexandra Anikeeva: A project about Caucasus is ongoing. I’m not planning to

finish it soon. But also I started to explore the new place and culture. The

Republic of Kalmykia in Russia is the only Buddhist region in Europe. In Kalmyk

culture great place takes epic stories about an ideal blessed land called

Bumba, where people are immortal. My next project related to this land.

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Alexandra Anikeeva www.alexandraanikeeva.com