« Naked Landscapes »: In the Lenses of Photographer Ksenia Kargina for HD FASHION

Photographer and artist Ksenia Kargina has made herself a name in fashion photography, shooting vibrant and captivating campaigns for brands in Ukraine and France. But she found her passion in travelling to the most gorgeous and inaccessible places of the world, where she captures the precious instants in monumental landscapes. We caught up with Ksenia in Paris, where she has been living for the last two years, just a few weeks before the opening night of her new exhibition, « Naked Landscapes », in Kyiv.

Tell us more about your new project.

In the last five years, I have travelled to some of the wildest and most inaccessible places on Earth: I have seen it all, Greenland, Svalbard, Tierra del Fuego, the deserts of Chad, the plateaus of the Himalayas, the Amazon jungle, the volcanoes and lagoons of the Atacama Desert. The latter is where « Naked Landscapes » as a project was born: when I started photographing the surreal landscapes of Bolivia and Chile, I was so overwhelmed by the beauty that pressing the shutter button was the only action that helped me get a grip on reality. « Naked Landscapes » photographs are a glimpse of a moment, a portal to serenity. Travelling to such wild, powerful places puts you in a special, transcendent state. You touch something much bigger than yourself, this power and energy overwhelms you, so the images taken during these journeys become portals to the feelings and sensations of those moments. Photography for me has never been a representation of experience - it is the experience.

Why did you call it « Naked Landscapes »? How many artworks will be on view? And how did you choose them?

These are wild landscapes. So it seems only natural that the title was born on its own, I didn’t have to look for it any further. I had seen so much beauty, which was so direct, so sincere and open to the eye, that « naked » was the best word to describe it. There will be ten large format works in the exhibition. I love this size, it allows you to create an intimate connection between the viewer and the work, as if everything that is around did not exist anymore, and only a conversation with eternity remained. The exhibition will feature a series of images from different places, and continents, captured at different times, united by short essays imprinted in the body of each work, which form a narrative. For me, « Naked Landscapes » is about the courage of finding the journey towards oneself, about the eternal human desire for serenity, the transformative power of beauty and that curiously each and every second is ideal in a way.

How do you choose your travel destinations? And what’s your next journey?

To be honest, I don’t have a specific system or a strategy when I choose my next destination. It’s more instinctive. Like my last trip to Latin America: having been to Atacama five years ago, I wanted to go back but kept putting it off. After the outbreak of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, I had to flee Kyiv and I moved to Paris. I thought a lot about the relevance of my ideas. Do they still inspire me the same way or do I go by inertia? In the new reality, I got a very intense feeling that life is very fragile and short. I physically felt that I could no longer put off what I really wanted, so I took a one-way ticket, packed my favorite TTSWTRS jeans and sweatshirt, and flew to Chile and Bolivia. I was proud of myself, to be so brave and to find a way to get to know myself better. Also, there were a few times when my friends suggested: shall we go to Chad, Greenland and Mustang together? It’s impossible to turn down such an offer! For the moment, I don’t know where I will go next. It’s still TBC. There are so many places I would love to visit. For instance, I would love to discover Africa and its voodoo rituals and deserts. There were places I dreamed of visiting one day and sometimes I also want to go back to the places, I have already been before: I will always want to return to the Atacama, and I've recently been to an extraordinary part of Egypt and the Himalayas, and I will be happy to be back one day. Every journey is a unique opportunity for a personal and intimate conversation with the world. But for now, my plans are to stage my exhibition in Paris or Berlin, as well. After that, we'll see where the wind blows.

What was your first travel adventure?

My first big trips were to Los Angeles and New York when I earned a bit of money for the first time. The US made a great impression on me, but I didn’t fall in love. What was my first « Naked Landscapes » adventure? Well, I started photographing landscapes in Svalbard. It was my very first boat trip: we travelled for about 20 days in total. We went through storms, changed boats twice, ran aground, and waded through fog. It was a beautiful trip, a real adventure. I took a lot of pictures just because it was gorgeous - there was no « why ». It’s amazing to just do things that you love, without asking yourself too many questions searching for a reason. Whales, polar bears, endless days flowing into the nights that have the same lights and feel like days… Travelling to the North is always special - it's like time has stopped there, it's slower there, and you put all your warm clothes on, sit on the bow, icebergs are snapping around, you smell nitrogen. And you stare into that eternity for hours, and it stares into you.

How did you become a photographer?

It was a strange life twist. I was a maths student: it fascinated me with its elegant constructions, formulas and solutions. I always found maths marvellously interesting. But then, after university, I wanted to do something completely different. I started taking photographs and I took a lot of them. I never learnt photography or how to set the light. Everything happened because my desire was too big to stop, so the universe gave me the green light.

What would you recommend to someone starting in photography?

I would say: « Find what you like best and delve into it, explore, put words to it -  creativity begins when you realise your uniqueness. And don't try to please anyone - there's no time for that ».

What inspires you?

Travelling, for sure, and talking to people whose life stories fascinate me. I'm inspired by the fact that one can learn anything. Also, you can turn your dreams into reality, it’s just a matter of will. I am inspired by kindness and the possibility of unconditional love. The world is a mystery, and when I realise it, I feel endlessly inspired.

You are also known as a fashion photographer who has worked with many local Ukrainian and international brands. How did your journey in fashion start?

I moved to Kyiv to join my DJ boyfriend of the time and quickly started hanging out with his group of friends, who represented a new generation of creatives and dreamed of being in fashion. It was a fun time, our dreams had no limits, our shoots were very DIY, and a huge second-hand called « Lesnoy » (« From Forrest » in English) became the centre of the style. All the fashionistas of Kyiv gathered there. My very first fashion shoots were for friends, who were also just starting out as designers. We all evolved together and our projects became more serious. At some point, I started shooting their clothes for magazines, and we all became labelled as « professionals ».

What is your first fashion memory?

I remember when I got my hands on LaChapelle's book « Heaven to Hell » - it really struck me! The colours, the compositions, the provocation - I dug all over the Internet to understand how and what he shoots with! It was very beautiful. And I really wanted to be part of that world. I was amazed that I could touch it.

You are now a citizen of the world and live in Paris. What is your favourite thing about the City of Lights? And what do you miss most about living here?

I love Paris. I never thought I would live here one day, but after being based here for two years, I've fallen head over heels in love with the city. I love biking around Paris, enjoying the cold sunny days, surrounded by incredible architecture. There is also the Opera and the best ballets I have ever seen. If I could, I would spend every night at Opéra Garnier. Or at the jazz club on the corner next to my place. I love sitting there, having a sip of wine and contemplating life.I love that I can go three times to the Brancusi exhibition in Centre George Pompidou. Paris is a movable feast. What do I miss? Not much, probably, good music at parties and reliable men. And some of the warmth and lightness common for smaller cities of the South.

Where can one see you in Paris?

In the morning on a jog along the Seine, I always cross the passerelle Léopold-Sédar-Senghor, and then I work out at the open gym on the banks. In the afternoon I like to work at the Pompidou Library or the MEP (short for Maison Européenne ​​de la Photographie). And in the evening? Well, there are so many exciting places in Paris that it seems illegal to visit anything more than once (laughs). My favourite restaurant is Sugaar in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, and you can also spot me in Noir Coffee in the 7th arrondissement at any time of day.

What are your plans for the rest of the summer?

Getting everything sorted for my « Naked Landscapes » exhibition, reading a couple of good books (Hans Ulrich Obrist's « A Brief History of Curating », Pablo Neruda's « The Captain's Virgins » and Hesse's « The Glass Bead Game » are on my summer reading list), and spending a few days at Hydra at my friend’s wedding, while waiting for my next date with Paris.

« Naked Landscapes » on view in Kudriavka Kyiv gallery at the end of September.

Photo: Ksenia Kargina

Text: Lidia Ageeva