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72-Hour Guide to Berlin: Berlin Wall, Flea Markets, Checkpoint Charlie, van Gogh and Apple Strudel
Before I went to Berlin, all I heard from my friends was “Oh, you will love it. It’s such a great city”! Millions of tourists flock there from all over the world and now I understand why. Berlin is probably one of few cities I have visited where recent history, to which you and I can relate, is so apparent and in your face. Throughout the city you can feel the pain that Berliners themselves have endured and the pain the country caused to others. Yet, you can feel city’s resilient spirit and sense of hope. Berlin is also a city of contrasts and divisions: it’s very German in some…
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2015 Sony World Photography Awards: Capturing the World in Its Beauty
Every year I try to check out Sony World Photography Awards which bring together some of the best photography from all over the world. The winning and shortlisted entries feature images from different disciplines and for different tastes and audience – from landscape, nature and architecture to fine art and photo journalism. As an amature photographer, I am less interested in the technical aspects and more in the story each photographer istrying to tell through the lenses of their cameras. Some of them are as young as 17-19 years old, while other have many years of professional experience. I particularly enjoyed black and white portraits and shots of a…
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Seville, Spain: Everyone is Dancing (in Russian)
Originally published in Marie Claire Ukraine June 2013 issue. Translation is here.
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72-Hour Guide to Seville: Everyone is Dancing
(Translated from Russian, originally published in Marie Claire Ukraine June 2013 issue, which can be found here) Visiting the land of “Carmen” and “The Barber of Seville”, I found out: in Spain, passion takes place not only on stage I dreamt of visiting Seville for many years and now, finally, after a short flight from London, I find myself in this picturesque town. Already off the plane I feel the hot breath of air and accept it with gratitude after London’s cool. The taxi driver, realizing that the conversation in Spanish won’t take us anywhere, gets quiet and I admire evening landscape of the city and reflection of its lights…
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I’m Not Gaga! It’s Me, Jamala!
If you haven’t already heard of Jamala, a super-talented singer from Ukraine, read my interview for AGI Magazine (October 2012).
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‘Hybrid’ Kids: Identity in the Age of Globalisation
Growing up, I felt like an ugly duckling, an experience with which I am sure many mixed kids can relate. For me, half Russian, half Kazakh, born in Soviet Siberia, raised in Kyrgyzstan, and now an American living in London, identity has always been a complex issue. Even today, when people ask where I am from, it takes me a moment to answer what seems a simple question. While sometimes I long for a strong cultural identity, and one place to call home, I’ve also come to appreciate my unique background, and feeling a true ‘citizen of the world’. Usually you hear that mixed, or ‘hybrid’, kids, born into intercultural…
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Hartnell to Amies: Couture by Royal Appointment at FTM
From elegant eveningwear to practical day suits and dresses, a new exhibition of pre and post-WWII London couture opens today at the Fashion and Textile Museum, and I was one of the first to see it. (Originally published in AGI magazine) Named “Hartnell to Amies: Couture by Royal Appointment”, the exhibition is a major retrospective of the ground-breaking designers Normal Hartnell, Hardy Amies, and Frederick Fox. Favourites of the Royal Family, these designers created timeless pieces that have become famous around the world, putting British couture on the world’s fashion map. The Couture by Royal Appointment exhibition tells the stories of three influential designers with very distinct styles. The career…
