The Photography of Aleksey Myakishev

There’s little color to be seen or needed in the work of photographer Aleksey Myakishev (Алексей Мякишев). Born (1971) in Kirov (or Киров), formerly called Vyatka until 1934 and still sometimes referred to as such. Vyatka is also the name of one of Myakishev’s most famous projects, the photo series (2014) in which he captured the people and life of his home region.

Kolodozero

The photographer did something similar (between 2011 and 2015) in Kolodozero (Колодозеро), a village in Karelia) where in winter you’re more likely to see snow than people. Images from the series can be seen on Photoshelter and Viewbook, with slides and commentary on Vimeo (1 min). Be sure to check out this long read from Russia Beyond (2017), along with this short impression, and definitely watch the video below (English subtitled).

Through Myakishev’s lens, you can also view pilgrims, Solovki, Chernobyl, Moscow, and Crimea.

Kolodozero – Aleksey Myakishev – Bergger éditions
(Bergger, 2016, 2 mins)

Aleksey Myakishev – Documentary Photography
(Eīhwaz, 2016, 4 mins)

The music is not Russian but Slovak: Teče voda teče by Sága krásy

More Aleksey Myakishev

• фотоальбом “Ходъ.История одного паломничества” (Alexey Myakishev, 2018, 3 mins)
• Красота, жизнь и смерть русской деревни в фотографиях Алексея Мякишева (Beauty, life, and death of a Russian village in the photos of Aleksey Myakishev, Fontanka 2016)
• Biography on Viewbook

For Leica enthusiasts with plenty of time, there’s also this Phototalk Leica on analog photography (2020, 94 mins), featuring Myakishev.

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