TAKE THE RISK

Shortly before the big solo exhibition of one of our favorite photographers Pavel Denisenko, La Botanica Magazine took a long-awaited interview.

LB: You’ve shot for La Botanica a few stories. Can you share your thoughts on why using nature and plants in your photography is important to you?

PD: Nature has always been a key element in my work. Even as an adolescent, photographing in studios felt sterile and claustrophobic. So, every time I got my hands on my mom’s car keys, I was off on an adventure and shooting somewhere in nature. I have such dear memories of all the times I got her car stuck in the mud or when a model went running off fleeing from an army of mosquitos. I would find locations near Blagoveschensk, my hometown in Russia, that would resemble a fantastic far off location, something reminiscent of Savanna. I used other tricks like obscure angles to make a river shore look like an ocean beach. I cultivated opportunities to make my dream shoots a reality. This landed me a commissioned shoot for Elle Magazine in Moscow, where I found a construction site and used a long lens to morph its appearance into that of sand dunes. Another experience, had me hiking to find a magical scene that looked like Masai Mara when I shot a tribal story for La Botanica. In reality it was Upstate New York. 

I’m constantly surprised by the great opportunities that have seemingly fallen into my lap. I was commissioned to take several trips to East Africa to photograph a book with Beyond Capital Fund. The project was such a success that I shot another book. This time I was fulfilling a lifelong dream and was traveling around India. My drive and passions are often inspired by adventures, whether they be in nature or travel or both. Every time I shoot in a studio, I like to bring in an element of nature’s creation. In this case, it’s the flowers. 

LA BOTANICA MAGAZINE: Let’s talk about your new exhibition. La Botanica was thrilled to find out that an entire section of your exhibition is devoted to flowers.

PAVEL DENISENKO: First months of 2021 feel like the start of a new life. I’m launching a new photo exhibition this spring in Los Angeles. "In My Nature" features over 30 of my new pieces. It's exhausting and thrilling to be shooting, editing, building sets and making giant prints all day and night. I love it.

I grew up in the Far East of Russia, so I have very vivid memories of what it’s like when spring comes after a long exhausting winter.  And after the darkness of the last year, I feel like celebrating life in all of its colors. 

At first an idea to do a series with florals seemed almost lazy. “Florals for spring?” 

In my work for many years I tried breaking stereotypes around masculinity, so photographing men with flowers was not a new idea to me and I resisted it at first. 

And then, when we finally moved into a new space for Risk, an editorial fashion magazine I co-founded with Colin Anderson in 2015, I found my inspiration at the LA flower market. The market is only a few minutes drive from the new studio space and quickly became a favorite spot to muse future photoshoots. Naturally, early morning market runs became a regular part of our routine before every shoot and we would find some unexpected treasure every time. One such treasure  was about 9 feet tall. We had to drive cradling our miraculous treasure in the bed of the truck, holding it gently, so its delicate stem wouldn’t be damaged. Not sure if it’s legal, but the risk of such adventures is one of my favorite parts of the process and well worth it. 

In an effort to better serve and further build our community we decided to cast Risk readers to be models for "In My Nature." This exhibit became even more personal as I hand painted custom backdrops and built sets with all the beautiful flowers flown to the market from all over the world. I love normalizing and empowering vulnerability and sensitivity in male identifying individuals living outside the norms and expectations set by society. I am here to serve and give voice to the marginalized. 

Behind the scenes of “In My Nature” series

LB: You are a self taught photographer with such an exciting career trajectory. Talk about your creative journey and your relationship with your craft. 

PD: It took me a long time to understand the importance of my work. I think the realization hit me in the beginning of quarantine (March 2020). The isolation got me thinking, what would we do without artists? I can’t possibly count how many times I found comfort in the lyrics of a song, or was inspired by a photo, or learned something new from a film. Honestly, I’ve always had self esteem issues, but my work gave me somewhere to escape and left me with a sense of purpose and validation. As a kid or even a teenager I couldn’t have imagined that at the age of 20 I would be awarded the title “Best new photographer” in by Collezioni Magazine and win a trip to China. I didn’t dare to dream that my work would be published in Vogue or to work with such reputable businesses as American Express, or even travel to Europe, or shoot campaigns for Equipment, a brand whose campaigns I referenced in my moodboards for years prior. But I did! I even became a teacher of photography in Russia and then later in New York. This led to a collaboration in partnership with NY based Style In Details which was later exhibited internationally. What feels best, however, is to see how I have inspired others with my art. I am honored to see when images I photographed are used as reference pictures by other artists in their moodboards. But, above all, I love to witness people’s finding of support and courage to express themselves through the work that I have published.

Nya Koang by Pavel Denisenko for Risk Magazi

LB: Everyone is talking about the crisis of old magazines, meanwhile you created a niche publication Risk. What is the point and mission of the new magazine?

PD: Risk was born from pure enthusiasm as well as frustration with the fashion industry and its censorship which doesn’t give many opportunities to marginalized peoples. Since our beginnings in 2015 we have remained an independent magazine. Looking back now, it feels surreal to see how we managed to establish, operate and evolve out of a major metropolis like New York City. NYC is a place where production can quickly become very challenging and extremely expensive, often stopping passion projects before they even begin. Fortunately, we found others as passionate as us to help build what became a global gender fluid fashion publication. Today, we have commissioned numerous teams from all over the world including England, France, Spain, Sweden, South Africa, North America etc to produce exclusive work for us. It was never easy, but we found motivation to keep creating and building thanks to the support of a community that was forming around us. Risk readers love most that we celebrate individuality and self expression. It’s all worth it when we get an email saying “Thank you for your work, I don’t see people that look like me in a fashion editorial often.” I am continually humbled by the overflow of support from our Risk community. We found a sustainable way to produce our work and avoid tailoring our content to the concerns of advertisers. Our community rules! I feel like a lot more magazines will operate this way in the future. 

“Statement simplicity” issue of Risk on the Brooklyn Brige

Risk Studios, creative office of Risk Magazine in Los Angeles, CA

LB: You get to work with international stars, people who get photographed a lot. What is something new that you’re trying to tell about a person in front of your camera?

PD: I like to think that people feel celebrated when I photograph them. When Billy Porter was nominated for an Emmy award in 2020, I showed up with a team, a piano and stand alone walls wrapped in fabric matching his off-white custom Ashi look. After having a long successful career on Broadway and a lead role in Pose for which he won his first Emmy, Billy was stepping into a new chapter in his career, he was becoming a Hollywood household name. When directing the shoot, I said to Billy, “Think royal portrait.” Watching it all come together in that moment was like witnessing the Northern Lights in person. I believe those photos represent a celebration of Billy and his claiming of his royal seat.

Billy Porter by Pavel Denisenko styled by Ty Hunter and Colin Anderson for 2020 Emmy Award