In Ordinary People, Ksenia Kuleshova, a rising star in the world of photography, has taken a series of intimate portraits, accompanied by short interviews, of LGBTQ Russians who, despite the relentless homophobia from politicians, religious leaders, and the media, remain open about their sexuality and seek happiness and joy in their everyday lives.
 

 

Kuleshova also looks beyond Russia’s borders to people in former Soviet states, many of which have taken their lead from Russia’s homophobic policies. Powerful and personal, Ordinary People is a moving and ultimately joyful testament to the survival and resilience of the LGBTQ community in one of the most oppressive countries in the world.

 
Ksenia Kuleshova is a documentary photographer based in Germany and Belgium. She has been featured in the British Journal of Photography as one of thirty-one women to watch, as one of twenty rising women photojournalists by Artsy, and as one of The 30: New and Emerging Photographers to Watch. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, National Geographic, the Wall Street Journal, Die Zeit, Bloomberg, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, GEO France, Focus, and others.