published 05/09/26

At the Intersection of Two Worlds

In today’s visual culture, it is no easy task for a photographer to stand out. The world has been overtaken by glossy imagery and the cult of instant content consumption. Against this backdrop, the work of Sofia Kayumova emerges as a manifesto of authenticity and calm.

The photographer and visual artist has already established herself as one of the most remarkable voices of a new generation. She has collaborated with Time Out New York and International Center of Photography, presented projects at the world-renowned Paris Photo, and published her own artist books. What lies behind her growing success?

Photographer as Director

Part of her distinction comes from a rare background that enables her to create striking photographic works. Unlike many self-taught image-makers, Sofia received formal training in Screen Studies at The New School in New York—one of the world’s leading centers for avant-garde art and design.

Founded in 1919 as a refuge for free-thinking intellectuals, the university remains one of the most liberal and creatively progressive institutions in the United States.

“My program was unique because we were taught not simply how to shoot, but how to deeply analyze media, history, and film culture. That is why I think like a director, understand mise-en-scène, and feel dramaturgy,” says Sofia Kayumova.

That may explain why her photographs often resemble frozen frames from a film.

Beyond the Shine

In 2025, Sofia Kayumova added a remarkable project to her portfolio focused on workers in New York’s Diamond District. Its world premiere took place at the International Center of Photography, one of the world’s leading museums and educational centers devoted to photography. Later, she brought the exhibition—titled Before It Shines—to her hometown of Novosibirsk.

With the project, Kayumova demonstrated the highest level of contemporary documentary practice. Jewelers and dealers are famously private people who tend to avoid cameras.

“To some extent, I had to become invisible—enter the workshops and capture everyday life from within,” the photographer explained.

It was a professional feat. While many photographers focus on luxury stones and polished storefronts, Sofia revealed sweat on craftsmen’s faces, the shimmer of metal filings, flashes from torches, and trails of smoke rising from soldering benches.

It is an honest story about labor and the people behind it—figures hidden from the clients of luxury boutiques. In the global art market, that depth of documentary immersion is often a mark of artistic maturity.

The Greatness of the North

One of Sofia’s defining projects in recent years became an exploration of her roots. The result was a dual-format release: the photobook CMETAHA by LOOK publishing and a solo exhibition in Novosibirsk.

Here, Siberia appears as a place of memory and inner strength. Born there herself, Sofia looks at the region not as a tourist, but with the tenderness of childhood memory. She transforms the harsh reality of subzero temperatures into an island of safety, each image wrapped in the soft, almost milky glow of a Siberian winter.

But what does CMETAHA mean? The word translates as “sour cream”—a beloved childhood treat for many Siberian children. It evokes the same emotional comfort as a glass of warm milk with cookies or bread with butter and sugar.

The book was launched in 2025 at the ICP Book Fair in New York and was later presented at the prestigious Paris Photo in Paris.

A particularly strong confirmation of the project’s artistic value came when the book appeared on the shelves of Printed Matter. More than a bookstore, it is considered a global mecca for art publishing, founded in 1976 by conceptual artists. To enter the Printed Matter catalog is to receive institutional recognition of a book as an artwork.

In that sense, Sofia Kayumova’s delicate Siberian story now stands alongside works by some of the greatest contemporary photographers and artists.

Art Projects

Sofia experiments boldly with form. In addition to photography, she also works as a cinematographer and video editor.

One example is her multimedia art project for the avant-garde publication NASTY Magazine titled Ghosts of Bohemia—a title perfectly aligned with the photographer’s signature ghostly, grain-rich visual language. Using analog aesthetics, Sofia transformed models into characters from a mystical film, proving that film photography remains a powerful tool in the contemporary fashion market.

Yet in her collaboration with conceptual clothing brand Planta Rosa, Sofia went even further.

The project, Unholy Union, became a forceful visual collision of two artistic worlds within one work. Choosing model and performer Mila Rowyszyn—who has collaborated with Vogue and Glamour—Sofia transformed a commercial shoot into a mystical manifesto.

Here, clothing serves merely as scenery for a story about the search for inner freedom. The collaboration demonstrated that Sofia does not adapt herself to a brand—she reinterprets it through the prism of her own artistic vision.

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Maestro of Film

Sofia Kayumova occupies a special place in contemporary photography thanks to her mastery of analog techniques.

This approach is valued not only by audiences but also by the professional community, which is why she is regularly invited to participate in respected group exhibitions. Among them are When I Was Older in 2023 and Unveiled in 2026, both in Brooklyn.

When I Was Older was held at Contact Photo Film Lab and Gallery, one of New York’s key spaces for photographers. It is a cult venue in Brooklyn where leading practitioners of analog photography exhibit their work.

Among them is Victor Llorente, known for portraits of international stars and documentary work. His lens has captured figures such as Lionel Messi, Martin Scorsese, and Marina Abramović.

“Film is handmade. Every grain and every flare in a photograph is the result of a chemical reaction. No retouching, no AI—just you and your talent. That matters to me. It is how I keep images alive.

Some may say it is the harder path. I agree. But only this way can I control the entire process—from the chemistry of the developer to the choice of paper texture,” the photographer says.

A Singular Vision

Sofia Kayumova has the rare ability to find beauty where others see only ordinary life: in a jeweler’s hands, in the shadow of a panel apartment block, or in the grainy texture of winter air.

It is this synthesis that turns her works into collectible objects and places her among the strongest voices of the contemporary scene. She proves that today’s photographer can be, at once, both a director and a philosopher.

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