Twenty-five years ago, I attended a drama school and came quite close to becoming an actor. Although I made a different life choice, that experience significantly influenced my personality. In 2023, I embarked on a project-investigation, returning to the theater environment, this time as an external observer. I aimed to reevaluate my experiences and memories. This project was captured at the small experimental theater "Total Theater" in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Within every person, numerous personas coexist: how they see themselves, how they aspire to be, and how others perceive them. For actors, there are additional layers of their roles. The moment when an actor has completed their role on the stage but has not fully reverted to their authentic self can also be a distinct state of being.

Theatre is a multi-layered image, akin to the stratified evening mist over a river. From the mist emerge contours of objects and people, yet one cannot be certain about what is seen in each moment – the person themselves or one of roles.

Anatoly Suzdaltsev is a visual artist and photographer. Born in 1980 in South Ural, he is currently based in Almaty, Kazakhstan and is a student at the Academy «Fotografika». Anatoly creates enigmatic worlds by blending documentary and art photography, weaving together objective reality with imaginative narratives and characters. He photographs with 35mm film and a digital camera while simultaneously experimenting with new tools, merging classical and contemporary techniques, basic reality and otherworldly vision. Anatoly’s works has been selected in festivals and group exhibitions “Rotterdam Photo Festival 2024” (Netherlands), “Night Photography 2023” (Greece), “Kuala Lumpur International Photoawards” (Malaysia) and were awarded Gomma Grant 2023 (Finalist), 2d ranked URBAN Book & Zine Award (Italy) and Bronze medal at FotoSlovo Award 2024.

For more information:
Visit: suzdaltsev.art
Read the interview with Anatoly Suzdaltsev