30/10/2024

What I'd Buy & Why: Anastasia Samoylova

Transcript: Welcome to the fifth edition of What I’d Buy and Why. Have you ever heard of Anastasia Samoylova? I hadn't until I met her in Venice and I was blown away. This young photographer is doing something remarkable and it shows. Her latest exhibition at The Met where she's paired with the legendary Walker Evans is a bold, rare feat especially for a young female artist. So what makes Samoylova's work so compelling? She's got the sharp eye for Florida's endless contradictions. Her images are vibrant, dreamlike, capturing both the beauty and the surreal darkness that lurks right underneath that prettiness. Think neon light, beaches, lush landscapes, but with a twist. The creeping realities of climate change, political tension, and unease of paradise on the edge are all palpable in these images and critics are raving about her. The New York Times called her work a way to expose the hidden perils of paradise while the Guardian has named her one of the most arresting voices in contemporary photography. At the Met, Samoylova's Florida stands side by side with Evans's historic eye from America's eccentricities creating this incredible conversation across time about what Florida was, is, and could become. I also had a chance to interview her for Seen where we deep dive into her journey and her approach and what it really means to bring her perspective to a place as legendary as The Met. Go check it out, go check her out, and trust me she's a name to remember. Her photos are so good.

Watch our interview with Anastasia.

Explore her work.

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What I'd Buy & Why: Zena Blackwell