Vladimir Seleznev

Bio / Statement

Vladimir Seleznev (b. 1984 in Moscow, Russia) is a photographer and visual artist. The most important part of his professional activity is devoted to personal long-term projects that are centered around issues of personal and social identity, social mythology, collective unconscious, as well as problems of suppressing personal self-awareness within various communities, from family to governmental systems.

In 2020, he published his first photobook "Oseyev" — a pseudo-documentary research of the typical residential environment of a contemporary metropolis that examines the collective myth of the new "city of the future" and visualizes the consumer demand of the "middle class". It also identifies problems of personal isolation and social discomfort within new urban areas.

Since 2018 Vladimir worked on the project "Those who talk in the temple are consigned to sorrow and woe", in which he continues to study the socio-cultural aspects of Russian society. This time, he explores peculiar properties of religious self-awareness as contributing factor to social apathy, ressentiment, as well as the historical legitimization of despotism, authoritarian politics, repression, and external aggression by the state.

Vladimir Seleznev has a higher teacher education, he is the author of educational programs on the contemporary photography and visual culture, co-founder of the Polezreniya School.

Represented by FotoDepartment Gallery, Saint Petersburg.

Selected awards

2025 - Urbanautica Institute Awards. Winner (Category: Memories and Traditions)

2025 - Gomma Grant. Main prize finalist

2024 - Encontros da Imagem Discovery Awards, Portugal. Finalist

2024 - PhMuseum 2024 Photography Grant. Shortlisted

2021 - Self Publish Riga dummy contest. Shortlist

2019 - International Photography Grant. Documentary nominee

2018 - International Photography Grant. Experimental nominee

2015 - Silver Camera (by Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow). Nomination "Architecture". Prizewinner

Selected exhibitions

2024 - Encontros da Imagem. International Photography and Visual Art Festival. Portugal, Guimarães

2021 - Ways of communication. Group. Pennlab Gallery, Moscow, Russia

2021 - Udar. Group. Borovsk Prison Castle, Borovsk, Russia

2021 - Self Publish Riga. Group. ISSP Gallery, Riga, Latvia

2018 - Photo Kyiv Fair. Group. Chicago Central House, Kiev, Ukraine

2017 - Contemporary landscape. Group. Nu Art Gallery, Kiev, Ukraine

2015 - Silver Camera. Group. Central exhibition hall «Manege», Moscow, Russia

2014 - The Third Museum Photobiennale of Contemporary Photography. Group. The Russian Museum, St.-Petersburg, Russia

2014 - Silver Camera. Group. The Tsar Tower of Kazansky railway station, Moscow, Russia

2013 - Silver Camera. Group. The Tsar Tower of Kazansky railway station, Moscow, Russia

2011 - Best Photographer. Group. The Lumiere brothers Center for Photography, Moscow, Russia

2007 - Apple History. Solo. Gallery XXI, Moscow, Russia

Public talks

2024 – "Postmemory and Post-Photography: exploring the Importance of family albums and archives in the AI age". Lecture and public discussion at Mirzoyan Library (in duo with Katya Selezneva). Yerevan International Photo Festival, Armenia

2022 – Presentation of the book "Oseyev". Koreshki festival, Novosibirsk, Russia

2021 – Presentation of the book "Oseyev". Pennlab Gallery, Moscow, Russia

2021 - Presentation of the book "Oseyev". Fotobookmarket on Contemporary Art Center "Winzavod", Moscow, Russia

2018 – Presentation of the project SNR (in collaboration with K. Selezneva ) Photo Kyiv Fair, Chicago Central House, Kiev, Ukraine

Book in public collections

Josef Chladek bookshelf
Garage Museum of Contemporary Art (Moscow)

Magazine Publications

Дискурс (RUS)
Фотопроект о современной православной вере в России

Meduza (RUS)
"За десять лет население Москвы увеличилось на полтора миллиона человек. Фотограф Владимир Селезнёв снял окраины разросшейся столицы так, будто это город-призрак"
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The Calvert Journal (ENG)
"New Moscow: capturing non-places in the suburbs of the Russian capital"
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Photographer (RUS)
Владимир Селезнёв: «В эпоху пост-правды спекулятивная документалистика только набирает обороты!»
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Неизвестный Человек (RUS)
«Фотограф Владимир Селезнёв: неудобный пейзаж, подмосковная Припять и эстетика обыденности»
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Teaching

2013/current - multiple courses in photography at Polezreniya School

Education

2001/2006 – Moscow State Pedagogical University, Faculty of Philology, Russia