Reflecting on her formative years in a quaint, farming community located in the southern region of Russia, Anastasia Samoylova is irresistibly drawn back to the vibrant imagery that played a crucial role in her early life: prominent propaganda billboards, vividly hued advertisements, and the classic red-and-gold theme of the Russian Orthodox church.
“The world has always been interpreted through an intensely visual framework for me,” comments Samoylova. “Even long before gaining literacy, my mind constantly sought patterns among shades and aimed to grasp the significance of images.”
Now in her grown-up life, the emerging modern artist has forged a flourishing vocation in the realm of observational photography, leveraging her knack for pinpointing captivating color arrangements in scenes that would typically go unnoticed. Similar to renowned documentary photographers like Walker Evans and Berenice Abbott, some of Samoylova’s most acclaimed pictures result from her road adventures—specifically, those throughout Florida, where she has resided since 2016.
In her intriguing and frequently multifaceted works, Samoylova addresses urgent topics such as environmental conservation, urban redevelopment, and fervent political movements. In Gatorama (2020), for example, she masterfully depicts an alligator soaking in an old, rusty swimming pool set against a vibrant bubble-gum pink background. Lost Wig (2017) showcases a Medusa-resembling hairstyle left tangled atop someone’s shadow. Meanwhile, Gun Shop, Port Orange (2019) directs the observer’s gaze to a mint-green building in Florida, its merry exterior marked with the silhouettes of firearms.