The land of bizarre rocks
photography, artist’s book, video, installations
2015–2024
The project is dedicated to exploring the socio-cultural phenomenon of the Stolby Nature Reserve in Siberia, where I lived for 9 years within the community of ‘stolbists’
The land of syenite pillars in the northwestern foothills of the Sayan Mountains in Siberia was discovered by humans 200 years ago. Since then, the weird rocks in the forest have served as an inexplicably powerful magnet for people, whose city has grown to the edge of the taiga. The area became a Nature Reserve, but its allure continued to increase, making “Krasnoyarsk Stolby” a popular destination for walks and tourism among most citizens, and a sacred space of inner freedom and closeness for some.
Stolbysts are individuals deeply devoted to the Stone Kingdom. Today, they are mostly mountaineers and rock climbers, naturally shaped by the terrain of the Stolby. However, beyond just sports, the border landscape of the Reserve has nurtured an alternative culture centered around special connections with nature, community bonds, and the concept of freedom. These people do not permanently reside on the Stolby, but come from the city for weekends, conquer the peaks of pillars with free climbing, gather in companies, build huts, form a unique folklore and way of life.
The city, where the pressure of everyday routine, social norms, and roles enslaves and restricts, crowds out people to the edge. They venture into the woods, to the land of bizarre rocks, disappearing from public view and becoming marginal notes — marginalia (from Latin marginalis “located on the edge”). Over the centuries the “Stolby” have been a symbol of nonconformity, attracting marginal figures from scientists and artists to revolutionaries and criminals. In the late 19th century, clashes between revolutionary workers and gendarmes led to mass arrests and arsoning of huts. At the same time, on the “Vtoroy stolb” rock, the word “SVOBODA” (The Freedom) appeared in meter-high white letters. This word became a local essence, the primary artifact, and unofficial motto — reflecting each person’s inheriting of inner freedom. “Stolby” is a sanctuary, another world where one can escape reality and feel most alive. In this landscape, the experience of coexistence between humans with nature, with others, and with oneself is preserved.
In this culture, my personality and identity are formed, and my worldview and experience of social interaction are shaped. As members of the youngest generation of Stolbysts, my company and I are responsible with preserving its history, present, and uncertain future.
The project “The Land of Bizarre Rocks” comprises several series of photographs taken over the course of my 10 years within the community. This extensive personal archive was compiled into a single visual narrative in the author’s photobook “Eos” then supplemented with new photographs and installations, and displayed in the space of the first solo exhibition The Haven in Museum center “Ploshchad Mira”
I am the one crawling toward the sun on the cliffside.
The one climbing upward through ice and snow.
With iron teeth on my boots.
I am the one rustling through leaves and streams for many forest miles,
Visiting for tea at the house on the stone,
Embracing the near and the far.
I am the one speaking with them of the lowest and highest in human nature,
Gazing into the star-thick sky, smoking a sweet, hand-rolled smoke.
I am the one singing songs all night long,
And once again scrambling up the rocks to meet the dawn.
I am the one watching from the summit
As the unimportant city sleeps and blinks in the distance.
I am the one who fell asleep near morning in an old greatcoat,
Yielding to the sun to shine and to warm.
I am the one by day reluctantly leaving for the city.
I am the one who returns.
