“The Island” is a photo album of Valaam Monastery, the nature of the Russian North, and man’s path to God.
From the author: “I was first on Valaam in 2007. I remember from that trip the severe northern nature and boundless Lake Ladoga. But I was unable at the time to convey a true image of the island. When I returned home, I understood that the island had captivated my heart.
“Ten years and two years of photographing have passed on Valaam since then. The island does not let me go… With each year it reveals more, but becomes no less mysterious. Here the heavenly shines through the earthly; beyond this place, on the edge of the world, there is only heaven.
“For me, Valaam is a symbol of our path to God. Through these photographs of the island I try to convey the feeling of prayerful peace, and to see the refraction of the heavenly in earthly beauty.”
