“Away from the world, a time capsule of this life was built through Semyon’s work. Depicting a world so in-between, it amplified the instinctual feeling we can experience when our external systems fall down — true freedom, the beauty of seeing everything simply, through the eyes of an unknown Russian teenager.”
From Semyon’s World by Timofey Abel.
Read on odesapublishing.com
“Russia, in many ways, had instilled an underdog status in post-Soviet adults, who would go on to have kids that never truly identified with one set of ideals.”
From Semyon’s World by Timofey Abel.
Read on odesapublishing.com
“For the longest time, Semyon’s profile picture was his girlfriend’s feet on his face. It’s a perfect representation of the spirit of youth living in post-Soviet Russia.”
From Semyon’s World by Timofey Abel.
Read on odesapublishing.com
My life was the road. The nostalgia, romanticization, and dreams of America fueled my ambition when I came back to the USA. My life shaped into the very thing I had hoped for.
The last couple of years were spent in constant motion, small towns, and yet big moments and loud cities. My debut monograph was built on that very feeling. A longing, beauty, exploration. A building of a pool of memories.
Building it in transitional spaces, sitting in a car in front of a grocery store, mornings at Waffle House, and endless coffees on the road. This book is alive for me. It’s the teenage, early twenties heart. It’s the electrocardiogram of my heartbeat.
It depicts the start, the journey, and the end. Now that this chapter is a second away from closing, as I’m putting these words out into the world, there was no better way to photograph the book itself in its most natural state. I drove up to Atlanta to hand-deliver the limited edition version of Timofey Abel — 20, each copy containing a unique memory and print. It accompanied me on one last journey.
To let live, and to live on. To honor the past and make friends with the future. That’s when we find true peace.
