Bio
Anatoly Suzdaltsev is a visual artist and photographer. Born in 1980 in the South Ural, he is currently based in Almaty, Kazakhstan. He began photographing in 2004, but his second beginning as a photographer came in 2022, when dramatic changes in the world and intense personal experiences compelled him to return to photography. He is currently a student at the Fotografika Academy.
Anatoly creates enigmatic visual worlds by blending documentary and art photography, weaving together objective reality with fictional narratives and imagined characters. His main focus lies in urban and art photography. He explores liminal spaces across Central Asia, working with 35mm film and a small handheld scanner to document surface textures. He also uses scanography to study various objects, pushing the boundaries of traditional photographic processes.
Anatoly holds a deep mystical view of photography — he believes the world reveals itself through the right photographer at the right moment, whether on the street or in the studio. His favorite medium is the photobook / zine, which he considers an intimate form of storytelling and artistic experimentation. Bored by repetition, he prefers experimentation.
His projects have been exhibited in group shows and festivals across Netherlands, Italy, Greece, Germany, Serbia, Hungary, Japan, Malaysia and more. Zines are part of the collections at Zone of the Zine, GARAGE, NIZINA, Asia Art Archive, and the Carlos Fontes Library.
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Awards, Nominations & Exhibitions:
2024 Bronze medal at FotoSlovo Award 2024.
2024 2d ranked URBAN Book & Zine Award, Italy.
2024 BIFA Winner Special — Night Photography, Hungary
2024 Special Mention ‘Tokyo International Foto Awards 2024’, Japan
2024 Finalist ‘Kuala Lumpur International Photoawards’, Malaysia.
2024 Personal exhibition ‘Total Theater’ at ‘Dialogues’ festival, Kazakhstan.
2024 Group exhibition ‘Humans Landscapes’, Loosenart, Italy.
2024 BBA ‘Photography Prize’ longlist, Germany.
2024 Group exhibition ‘Short cut Festival’, Serbia.
2024 Group exhibition ‘Rotterdam Photo Festival 2024 – Imagine’, Netherlands.
2024 Group exhibition ‘2nd B&W Athens Photography Festival’, Greece.
2024 Honorable Mention ‘Monochrome Photography Awards’.
2024 Analog Sparks Winner — Bronze.
2024 Group exhibition ‘Night on earth’ at ‘Dom36’ festival, Kazakhstan.
2023 Special mention ‘Urbanautica Institute Awards’ 2023, 2024
2023 Finalist ‘Gomma Grant’, UK.
2023 Nominee at ‘BBA One Shot Award’, Germany.
2023 Editors’ Picks at LensCulture — ‘Black And White Photography Awards’.
2023 Group exhibition ‘Night Photography’ at ‘Blank Wall Gallery’, Greece.
Zines and Books:
2025 Book ‘Total Theater’, selfpublished
2024 Zine ‘On Orbit’ (Visual Diary), selfpublished
2023 Zine ‘Night on Earth’, selfpublished
Collections: Zone of the Zine, GARAGE, NIZINA, SHKAF, Asia Art Archive, Carlos Fontes library.
Publications:
2025 Musee Magazine, Flash Fiction
2025 Urbanvoid, vol.3
2025 F-Stop Magazine, Issue #130: Inhabit
2024 F-Stop Magazine, Issue #128: Total Theater project
2024 F-Stop Magazine, Issue #127: Minimal
2024 F-Stop Magazine, Issue #124: Cities, ‘Grained City’
2024 Float Photo Magazine. Issue ‘Imperfect Poetry’
2024 Al-Tiba9 Art Magazine, Issue #15
2023 Dodho online, ‘Night on Earth’
Education:
2025 Book typography & Font design, ‘Sholotch’
2022-2025 Art & Documental Photography, Academy ‘Fotografika’
1997-2002 Electronic Design, South Ural State University.