Storyboarding The Trauma

Kristina Shakht’s “Taking Space” series takes you into its own world as soon as you see it. Quiet but deep. Here, you fearlessly feel the joy of two women who share common feelings with each other, producing together. Kristina has a lot to say about being a woman, accompanied by traces of Saint-Petersburg in her visual and emotional memory. It took her a long time to mention her profession out loud, as well as to convince herself that this was a “real job”. In this social dystopia where everyone is striving to be original, Kristina is among those who think that “a physical experience is much more meaningful than something online”, and her words are as honest and clear as her photographs.

Let’s go back to the time you said photography is “it” for you? How did it all start?

I don’t think there was a specific moment where I realized that it was ‘it’. I grew up in Saint-Petersburg. Art has been in my life since I remember myself. I went to art school since my early ages as an elective after school. Then there were beading and different dance classes when I was in primary/middle school. As a teen I got into journalism for 4 years as another after school elective where I would have different classes several times a week – stylistics, journalism, newspaper design and layouts, phycology, literature, etc. My mom always wanted to work in art and fashion but her family forced her to become a doctor so she gave me absolute freedom in choosing whatever I wanted to try out as a kid.

I remember being a kid and wanting to paint and sculpt but I quickly realized that that’s not something that would be applicable to the modern world and that I couldn’t make a living from it. I also really wanted to work in fashion but that felt even more unachievable than painting. I remember so vividly like it was yesterday being scared to admit to people and to myself that that’s what I wanted because that’s something girly, unserious and just ‘not a real job’. For my relatives who are doctors, accountants, fighter jet pilots, dentists and teachers what I’m doing now is extremely unserious and I think until I’ll bring a million dollar check they won’t stop acting that way but even then I’m not sure.

So when in art school around age 9-10 I started thinking maybe architect, then journalist, then when I was 19 I randomly started my own jewelry brand and did that for a couple years. That’s when I started shooting first for the brand and later I realized I wanted to move out of Russia because it was becoming more and more dangerous so I switched fully to photography. By that time I was pretty much obsessed with it. I think it was so dangerous to think about anything else especially politics and I’ve always been pretty outspoken that all my energy got solely channeled into one thing. I’ve played around with film cameras before as a teen but it was more because all of my peers were doing it and I wanted to try it too. Around 2017-2018 I started discovering more and more female photographers and just realized that it was possible to become an artist too. At that time I was still living in Russia. I moved to NYC in June 2019 just to do photography, specifically fashion and art photography.

How did the idea of the “Taking Space” series come out?

To be honest most of the personal projects I freestyle. What does that mean you’ll ask?! Because that’s what I just asked myself. Let me try to somewhat explain. So for this one there was a very loose plan and it wasn’t a project at all in the beginning. I met Daphne in September 2022 and we started shooting together frequently. We would meet up throughout that year – year and a half for intimate sessions – just talking, shooting. I actually mostly talk with people during shoots like that just about life and stuff, we’re both immigrants so that was our main topic of discussion. Approximately 9-11 months in I realized that there was potentially a story and I started putting it together. And then we had a couple more sessions after that.

It does depend on the project though. I do have some where I plan out every detail and prep very well then there’s also ones where I semi prep. You have to understand that within style that I usually shoot, there are things I just can’t control. I have this obsession with shooting underwater and ‘Taking Space’ has several underwater shots – those I can’t plan because I shoot film underwater and I have no idea if there’s anything good until I develop it and to be honest from that session I think we only had 3-4 usable images among many rolls.

Can I say that my work is original?! I don’t know, I hope so.

Kristina Shakht

 Your work has a unique look. What goes around your femme-to-femme practice at that moment of creating?

I’m pretty open about being a sexual assault survivor. In general, I talk through the sessions about the process of creating images and what it means to be a woman. Behind the lens and in front of it, with the women that I’m shooting…

There is something psychedelic in your work. The color choices and the lights aspire to tell a story. Can you tell us how you get inspired?

My colors and light are very Saint-Petersburg/White Nights inspired. Photography for me is an escapism but also a way to reflect and play and see what comes out of it. It’s definitely about processing and storyboarding the trauma.

I also definitely get inspiration from political science – lectures & political analysis that I listen to and read every day. It’s not obvious and not in our face but my work is very political. I try to guide the viewer gently though. I recently went to MoMa with my friend and it was her first time and my 20th or something. And it is so interesting how you experience the same things differently with different people especially when it’s their first time. And I made a mistake of showing the second floor first instead of going to Water Lilies right away like I usually do and oh boy it hits you hard on the head. It’s very in your face/shake you to the core type political which I love and I think that stuff should exist and I do that type of work myself when I shoot protests or cover elections. But I also think that your work can be political and gentle, something more conversational less black and white and more nuanced I guess – and my main portfolio is more that.

What does the word obsession mean to you?

Work ethic and in depth research. I think both of these are important to move from a good idea to a great final result.

How would you describe your art to someone who never heard about you before? 

Raw, weird, spooky, colorful, femmes.

I’m pretty open about being a sexual assault survivor and I just in general talk through the sessions about the process of creating images and what it means to be a woman behind the lens and in front of it with the women that I’m shooting.”

Kristina Shakht

What do you think originality means in terms of art?

I don’t know if this will answer it but the ability to transform your daily life and troubles into inspiration and translate it into your art. The point of view is definitely something that is by its nature original on its own. All the storylines are pretty much the same since humans began to tell stories. What defines one author from another is the ability to have a certain style, flavor, angles and lenses.

Can I say that my work is original?! I don’t know, I hope so. You tell me, I guess if you feel like it then it is. I do know that using specific childhood settings from my past and Slavic mythology as references I make my images a step closer to standing out from all the digital noise we do see on a daily basis once we open our phones. Digital noise. Let’s be honest, when was the last time you bought someone’s print?

Photography in a way is a very ghettoized form of art specifically because of how accessible it became. Everyone owns a smartphone (or two) with a camera. Photography for many is not art its content, something like plastic cutlery. To shoot, upload, get likes and then to be forgotten and thrown out. I see a lot of people who call themselves photographers / artists fall into that trap of shooting something trendy just to post. I think social media plays a big role in how we see, value and how much we are willing to pay for originality. I don’t think we fully understand this dystopian monster we created with algorithms but I think we need to find a better way to interact with art and news. I grew up cherishing print and magazines. Looking back at it there were a million problems with it besides even gatekeeping but I’m sure there’s a way to do it right, analyzing all those mistakes and catering to the current world. I do think physical experience is so much more meaningful than something online. The Internet gave a lot of space for people to be bad and experiment but I think there should be spaces be it a magazine or something else that would be something thought provoking and original, that would start conversations with their communities. And it should definitely be something of quality.

What is your wild wish for the future?

I haven’t been back to Russia since I moved to New York 5 years ago and it’s not safe for me to go back because of the political situation so I hope to go back one day. Hopefully sooner than later. So far, I’m thinking it’s going to take at least 10-20 years in the best case scenario with the way everything is going now to become somewhat safe to go back if ever. But there’s definitely some legislation that has to be changed before I even consider buying an airplane ticket. I haven’t seen my mom and grandma for almost 5 years as well and I hope to meet them soon, in Turkey actually. We’ve been planning this for several years and I’ve been walking around Istanbul in Google maps for months now.

If/when I ever go back to Saint-Petersburg it would be really great to have an exhibition in Hermitage Museum (that’s basically our Louvre or Met). I went there so many times as a kid and that was a place where I would get to discover other artists and it would be awesome to have a show there.

From Based Istanbul N°43 – The Winners Club Issue. “For us, winning is deciding to embark on a journey. Ask yourself aloud: If this is a race, who else but me can make the rules? Welcome to the winners club!” Buy your copy now!