Evgenia Arbugaeva

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Evgenia Arbugaeva

Evgenia Arbugaeva was born in the town of Tiksi, located on the shore the Laptev Sea in the Republic of Yakutia in Russia. In her personal work she often looks into her homeland - the Arctic, discovering and capturing the remote worlds and people who inhabit them.

Evgenia is a National Geographic Society Storytelling Fellow, a recipient of the ICP Infinity Award, Leica Oskar Barnack Award and the Magnum Foundation Emergency Fund Grant. Her work has been exhibited internationally and appeared in publications such as National Geographic, Time, Le Monde and The New Yorker magazines among others. She lives in London, UK.

'Photographer Evgenia Arbugaeva grew up in the Arctic, and happened upon Slava living in the past. She spent three weeks shooting him as he worked, rowed his homemade boat and built matchstick houses in an Arctic timewarp.' - The Guardian

I’m from one of those places. I think I’m a loner really. I’m very comfortable with being alone. I need to be in empty space. When I’m in these serene places, it’s so nice because not much happens – everything becomes important. - Evgenia Arbugaeva

Arbugaeva took photographs of a meteorologist called Slava Korotki who lives in northern Russia, it is an hour away by helicopter from the nearest town. These photographs were exhibited in the Photographers' Gallery in 2016. Arbugaeva captured and documented the isolating and secluded life of the weather man by showing the activities of his everyday life as well as his surroundings. I was drawn to the images below from the photo series as I feel like they all have a strong sense of isolation. The first photograph shows Slava eating his lunch and talking to his pet parrot. Even though Slava lives in a remote place, he has his parrot to keep him company. This shows the positive side of his life where he isn't completely alone. I really like the dull lighting in this image as it creates an eerie mood. The viewer can see Slava looking up at the silhouette of his parrot. The silhouette is created from the light of the bright window. The second photograph shows Slava in his homemade boat in the sea. This image appears quite isolating as it shows him on his own surrounded by a desolate landscape. The boat is in the middle of the composition with completely clear untouched water around it which makes it look more secluded. The photograph looks as if it has been taken during the evening due to the dull blue of the sky. The next photograph shows the inside of a ship. The are is quite dark and confined which makes it feel quite claustrophobic. In the centre of the composition there is a small circular window which is the only source of light. Through the window you can see the waves in the sea which surround the ship, this is the only glimpse of the outside world. The last image shows Slava looking out of the window at the rain. He is standing on his own which creates the feeling of being lonely and isolated. The window is almost a barrier between Slava and the outside world. I decided to research this photo series as inspiration for my video. Due to current circumstances we have a lot of restrictions so we have to make a video with the theme islander. These photographs show what it's like for someone that is secluded from reality.

1. Slava eats lunch at home while talking to his parrot Kesha, as snow falls heavily outside

2. Slava in his handmade boat on the Barents Sea

3. The Barents Sea seen from the ship Mikhail Somov

4.Slava stands at the window of his house in the rain