Everyday Russian life in the works of Sergey Osmachkin (PHOTOS)

Reckless youth, carefree kids, pensive pensioners — photographer Sergey Osmachkin shoots real life on the streets of his native Samara. He artfully catches the moment and faithfully conveys the mood.

Osmachkin was born in 1961 in the small town of Asha, Chelyabinsk Region, but his family moved to Kuibyshev (now Samara) when he was still young. Aged 16, he started creative photography at the local photo club. By the age of 23, his uniquely innovative style and bold experimentation with angles, chiaroscuro and photomontage had made him known throughout the USSR.

In the mid-1980s, Osmachkin's photos began appearing at international exhibitions in the U.S., Spain, Britain, France and what was then East Germany. Today his works are housed in reputable museums and libraries in France, the U.S., Mexico and, of course, his homeland Russia.

Let's take a look at some of the most striking images from a new retrospective of his art.

Playing Soccer, 1986

In the Yard, 1996

Wild Dances

Clouds, 1986

At Church, 2005

Untitled

Portrait with a Duck

Sculpture, 1996

A Square in Samara, 1996

Evening Light, 2005

Park Sculpture, 2006

Evening, 2009

Aquarium, 2010

Untitled

The exhibition “Sergey Osmachkin. Manifestation of the Ordinary” runs at the Rosphoto State Museum and Exhibition Center from Aug. 19 to Sept. 19, 2021.