Damir Faizulin: Preserving Nature as Preserving Ourselves

In his series, the Russian photographer draws attention to nature, to people and to living conditions in the mountains of Dagestan, a region located in the North Caucasus in southern Russia. Drawing on his personal experiences over many years, he is able to use selected pair of pictures to illustrate the current upheavals. As these changes unfold, it is not only nature that is disappearing, but also the country’s traditions and long-established cultural identity.

The ruins of an abandoned mountain village stands in juxtaposition to the steel framework of a new shopping centre. Village women wear traditional headscarves next to a young girl whose coat sports the Chanel logo. Damir Faizulin’s series thrives on contrasts, which he present in pairs of pictures. They alternate between ideal, past and reality. On the one side, they show people living in harmony with nature and tradition; on the other, environmental destruction and the loss of centuries-old conventions. The Russian photographer documents without prejudice; however, he is aware of his role as a chronicler of a region in transformation, which he celebrates in his impressive images. “Artistic form has a special significance for me, because it allows me to see within a real scene, not only an event but an image; not only a fact but a state of being; not only information but the inner structure of life,” he explains.

The starting point for Faizulin’s series is the mountain region of Dagestan, one of the most ethnically-diverse parts of Russia. Over 40 groups are represented within this region of the Caucasus, each with its unique cultural legacy and its own language. He first discovered the beauty of Dagestan as a tourist in 2020. It immediately became clear to him at the time that he would not be able to convey the essence of the region during a short stay. Accordingly, he decided to develop a long-term project “…in order to see the dynamics of life and transformation. That’s why, in 2021, I moved to Dagestan for a deeper study of the region. Moving to Dagestan gave me the possibility of establishing a natural contact with people. I wanted to explore the factors that shape the character of mountain people: how a specific environment determines a person’s culture and character, because a person is inseparable from the geography of the place where they build their everyday life, and where they themselves are formed.” 

In Faizulin’s series, the landscape is no longer a backdrop – it becomes a valuable, central figure, a quiet co-author of human fate. Within this fragile balance between stone and people, lies a fundamental, ecological acknowledgement. “By destroying nature, we destroy ourselves.” He also interprets his role as a photographer in this light: “Documentary photography of remote regions helps people from other parts of the world, or even from other parts of the same country, to see what is usually inaccessible, unclear or invisible in their everyday lives,” he explains. “It provides more information and, as a result, can create more tolerance and understanding towards a person from another cultural code, another region. This is especially relevant in multi-ethnic countries with significant migration.” 

Damir Faizulin’s series was submitted by Mustafa Abdulaziz, who is part of this year’s group of international LOBA nominators.