Treasure Island

The purpose of the “Treasure Island” body of work is to bring peoples’ attention to recycling. My approach is to show from my photographic perspective that recycling is beautiful, artistically as well as practically. I accomplish this by visiting junkyards (recycling sites), carefully studying the discards and debris, and illustrating its value in the form of abstract photographs.

Recycling is one of the ways to reduce global warming. Our community in Monterey area is strongly affected by the outcome of global warming – the rise of the sea level. By 2030, the sea level will rise by 8 inches, enough to regularly flood Del Monte Avenue near Del Monte Beach. And by 2100, the sea will have risen 5.2 feet creating a decline in economical activity in the city.

For this reason, it is crucial to keep the conversation about the importance of recycling going.

My acquaintance with recycling happened when I was working at the Waste Management Department in 2009. As a civil servant, I visited recycling stations in Belarus.

My second acquaintance with recycling happened in Myrtle Beach, SC in 2019. At that time, I met the industry not as a governmental clerk but as an artist. I was looking for extraordinary locations to photograph my models. This led to the creation of the “Treasure Island” series. The first 6 works of the series were displayed at Studio B. gallery in Myrtle Beach, SC, from June till September 2019.

I moved to Monterey area in August 2020. Since then, I continue to work on the “Treasure Island” project and build a bridge of the importance of recycling between the East Coast and the West Coast.

This project is my way of recycling. I hope it will inspire others to do recycling their own way.