Russian photographer Galina Lukyanova

Photographer Galina Lukyanova. October. From the series 'Autumn notebook'. 1988 — Photographer Galina Lukyanova. October. From the series ‘Autumn notebook’. 1988

Russian photographer Galina Lukyanova was born in Novosibirsk, Western Siberia, July 25, 1943. In 1961 she graduated from the opto-mechanical technical school. In 1969 she came to the Photo Club “Krasnogorsk” in Moscow region, and a year later – in the Photo Club “Innovator”, Moscow. Passion for photography led her to the decision to change profession. In 1980 she graduated from the Institute for Journalistic Excellence (the Union of Journalists of the USSR). After graduation she worked in the popelar magazine “Soviet photo”, as a special correspondent. Galina Lukyanova has participated in several exhibitions and competitions since 1969 – personal exhibitions of Soviet photography in Italy, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Germany, Finland, the Netherlands.

Galina Lukyanova. Forest stream. Kupavnitsy. From the series Rusalina week. 1992

Professional awards:

· 3 gold medals VDNKh (All-Russia Exhibition Centre) in 1985,1987,1989) for photocycle “Solstice”, “leave the village,” “House”
· Silver medal VDNKh (1988) for her work with children’s photography studio
· Grand Prix “landscapes – 88”, Uzhgorod, 1988
· 5th prize in the “For the socialist art of photography”, Berlin, 1977
· Diploma photo contest dedicated to the memory of AV Khlebnikov, Photo Club “Innovator”, Moscow
· First prize contests magazine “Soviet Photo” (1978, 1989)
· Grand Prix “Russia Today”, Moscow, 1995
· Prizes, including first place in many USSR competitions

Galina Lukyanova. From the series 'Abandoned village'. 1981 — Galina Lukyanova. From the series ‘Abandoned village’. 1981

Photography for me … – a mode of existence, it is necessary for me to maintain a sense of balance. We live in the real world, but the reality is, as we see it. The world depicted in my pictures, for me is real. Of course, I know that it is different, but still, sometimes it is as I want to see it.

With my photographs I try to prove that the world in which I would like to live – exists, it is as real as the chaos that we see around us. Perhaps that is why I admit to myself just the photograph that bears the features of the document, ie printed from one negative and without any techniques distorting nature. The difficulty of my printing is to convey as much as possible really what I keep in front of my inner sight.

Galina Lukyanova is influenced by Edward Weston, she first became acquainted with his work at the Moscow Exhibition of photographs in the United States (1976), and to this day does not get tired to admire his skills.