Maxim Zmeyev born 30 March 1987 in Leningrad. Graduated from St.Petersburg College of Tourism and Service, studied journalism at St.Petersburg State University. Since 2009, he has worked as a photojournalist for regional and international news agencies, including the Reuters and AFP news agencies. In 2021 he graduated from the Rodchenko School of Photography and Multimedia. He was forced to leave Russia in 2022 due to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Now lives and works in Marseille, France.
Solo exhibition
2024
Type 1.5.11.
Getxophoto International Image Festival
Romo Kultur Etxea (ES)
2020
Out of the map
Parallel Program of The VII Moscow International Biennale for Young Art
Nii Sreda, Moscow (RU)
Selected group exhibition
2023
Internationale Photoszene Cologne Festival
Photography in Proggress
Kunsträume der Michael Horbach Stiftung, Cologne (DE)
Small File Photo Festival
The Photographer’s Gallery, London (GB)
Rome art Week
Forgotten place, Millepiani, Rome (IT)
Paper
The European Center, Athens (GR)
Uchi-Soto
SAGE Gallery, Bangkok (TH)
Festival 9ph-Photographie et image contemporaine
Factatory, Lyon (FR)
2021
The 1st international Biennale <Art for the Future>
Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow (RU)
Blazar Young Contemporary Art Fair
Museum of Moscow (RU)
The Exhibition of 2 Moscow Art Prize nominees
Media center Zaryadye Park, Moscow (RU)
Time Out of Joint
The Ekaterina Cultural Foundation, Moscow (RU)
Osmosis. New aesthetics
Electromuseum, Moscow (RU)
2020
Peacetime
Gorky Park Museum, Moscow (RU)
Creating an environment
Art-Space-Hopping, Moscow (RU)
Publication
2024
Der-Greif
Artist Blog (DE)
2023
Der-Greif
Guest Room (DE)
See-zeen
Issue #8 (USA)
F-Stop
Issue #119
Awards
2020
Finalist of International contest Blurring the Lines
Paris (FR)
Education
2021
Rodchenko Art School
Moscow (RU)
2014
Saint - Petersburg State University Faculty of Journalism
Media designs information technologies, St. Petersburg (RU)
My artistic practice centers around the exploration of the intersections between virtual and physical realities, where digital spaces and traditional methodologies converge to question the boundaries of identity, authorship, and cultural narratives. By engaging deeply with video games as both a creative medium and a cultural artifact, I investigate the ways in which digital environments shape and reflect contemporary social issues, historical perspectives, and personal identities.
My work often involves the transformation of digital images into physical forms, bridging the gap between the intangible nature of virtual worlds and the materiality of traditional photographic processes. This interplay between the digital and the analog serves as a means to explore the authenticity and value of visual representations in a world where the lines between reality and simulation are increasingly blurred.
Through the appropriation and reinterpretation of in-game photography, I examine the ways in which video games function as both spaces of creative freedom and tools of ideological influence. My projects challenge the viewer to critically engage with the content and context of these digital images, questioning the narratives they perpetuate and the impact they have on our understanding of history, identity, and culture.
In addition, my practice delves into the legal and ethical dimensions of virtual photography, addressing the complexities of intellectual property and the rights of creators in digital environments. By recontextualizing these images within traditional photographic processes, I explore the tension between originality and reproduction, raising questions about the nature of authorship in the digital age.
Overall, my work is a continuous investigation into the evolving relationship between humans and the digital landscapes they inhabit. It seeks to provoke a deeper understanding of how virtual worlds influence our perception of reality, and how the integration of digital and physical art forms can challenge and redefine the boundaries of contemporary artistic practice. Artworks by Maxim Zmeyev are in the collection of the Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow (MAMM) and private collections.