Svetlana Bulatova documentary photographer

“A Wild Animal Never Attacks First. Human does”

The photobook "A Wild Animal Never Attacks First. Human does" by documentary photographer Svetlana Bulatova was self-published in 2022. The title of the photobook is a quote from a Chechen forest ranger. The Chechen Wars of the 1990s and 2000s had a devastating effect on natural beauty. Chechnya’s forests and mountains suffered a drastic decline. Animals migrated to escape the constant shelling. Some species of animals and plants are now endangered. Though not immediately obvious from the photographs, human violence lies in the background of this story, hidden in the first snowfall across the plain. The two chapters of the photobook dedicate to the daily life in the mountain village. These photographs talk about healing, and harmony with nature; it’s also about the importance of care in the aftermath of conflict.

Music: M. Ippolitov-Ivanov, Caucasian Sketches, 1894 Harmonist: Liana Salbieva
© «A Wild Animal Never Attacks First. Human does» by Svetlana Bulatova self-published
116 pages (Arena Ivory Rough Paper, 120) hardcover
95 € / edition: 50 copies + 5 AP

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