ESCAPE FROM REALITY

SERGEY ARESHEV

// Sergey was born in Tbilisi, Georgia. Photography has always been a fascinating subject to him, and so he became a freelance photographer focusing on sports for some European agencies, but Sergey mostly prefers to take images that go beyond the documentary reportage. Because of his past experiences, he tries to focus on positive emotions and moods.

Sergey left from a career in the army and became a sports and ballet photographer. He considers this an escape from a reality he does not find palatable.

“For a long time I served in the army, and although I had practically a civilian specialty (transportation of troops by rail), over the years, I had to see a lot of scary things – victims of the devastating earthquake in Armenia in 1988, fragments of human bodies scattered on the ground, during the Chechen wars, and other horrors. After leaving the army, I had the opportunity to do my favourite thing – taking pictures, focusing mainly on sports and ballet. I like to shoot happy, beautiful and healthy people.

Sergey’s work has been recognized in several photographic competitions. Some recent ones include the 2022 Toronto International Salon of Photography (Canada) – FIAP Silver, the 2021 Luxembourg International Contest (Luxembourg) – FLPA Gold and the 2021 IFPC Kenko-Tokina International Photo Contest (Japan) – Winner in the Excellent works category.

“Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us, or we find it not.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

What draws you to art?

“Art enriches a person’s life, makes his life complete.”

What do you like best about this photographic project?

“Every time I’ve pushed myself to do something more than just documentary reportage shots; experimented using long exposure, zooming, ICM, and other approaches, I tried to get my images more artistic and impressionistic than realistic.“

About this series, Sergey says, “There are enough troubles in our life, and I’ve always wanted to share only positive emotions and mood. In 2022, I was diagnosed with stage four cancer. First there was an operation, and then radiation and hormone therapy were prescribed. Now patients with the same diagnosis are lying with me in the ward. Some moaning in pain, others are silent all day, facing the wall. On TV, in the ward, from morning to evening, non-stop reports from Ukraine. I manage to forget about my illness, the ongoing war, and escape from reality only in a dream. And I hope that someday I will still have the opportunity to photograph happy people, and not only on stage or at the stadium. I want this war to end as soon as possible!”

We do wish Sergey the best possible outcome with his treatment and share his wish that he may have a chance to continue with his passion of photography in a better situation.

Click on the photos to see a larger version with title. Some images may be cropped for layout.