Ruslan Lobanov is a Ukrainian photographer whose work feels like cinematic sculpture. Born in Kyiv in 1979, he’s become a distinctive voice in post-Soviet fine art photography. His nude portraits aren’t about shock or spectacle — they’re quiet, deliberate, and charged with atmosphere. Each feels like a frame from a film that’s yet to be written.
Roots in Kyiv: Analogue & Emotional Revival
Lobanov’s early years were grounded in analog photography. He loved the ritual of it — the patience, the grain, the tactility. Starting out in Kyiv, he staged nudes inspired by his sister, a designer, and the lingering textures of post-Soviet interiors.
His early projects in the 2000s established his voice, but it was Nudes in the City (2015) that really introduced him to an international audience.
At the heart of his practice is a kind of emotional revival — taking forgotten courtyards, handmade costumes, or gestures on the edge of memory, and pulling them forward into timeless imagery. That resonates with me: in my own sculptural work, I’m also trying to weave emotional truth and legacy into each frame.
Photographic Style: Glamour, Restraint, and Containment
Lobanov blendsmid-century glamour with a strong sense of containment. The images are polished, elegant — but there’s always a pause, a held breath, something withheld.
- Black-and-white palettes with deep contrast and cinematic grain
- Close-up framing and shallow depth of field, enhancing intimacy
- Vintage urban locations – cafés, train stations, châteaus
- Handmade costumes and collectible accessories, sourced or crafted to evoke specific eras
What stands out is the balance: the figure is radiant, but never objectified. The scene is glamorous, but never shallow. It’s this blend of intensity and restraint that makes the work linger.
Why it Matters
Lobanov’s images remind me that nudity in art isn’t just about revealing the body — it’s about revealing atmosphere, history, and memory. By staging the nude within a narrative frame, he makes each photograph less about exhibition and more about story.
For artists like myself, working with the human figure, his work is a reminder to stay attentive to what surrounds the body: the architecture, the costume, the gestures. These are what transform a portrait into something lasting.
Signature Projects and Accolades
- Chateau: Erotic nostalgia staged in French interiors, blending legacy and sensuality.
- Havana Affair: A cinematic series that earned him a nomination at the 13th Black & White Spider Awards.
- Not Black and White Cinema: A limited edition color book reframing his monochrome legacy with saturated emotional tone.
- Confessions (2025): A wartime elegy in two volumes, limited to 660 copies each. Published during the war in Ukraine, this project metabolizes nudity into emotional indictment, staging sculptural presence in urban decay and moral ambiguity. Signed, numbered, and often accompanied by collectible postcards, Confessions is his most emotionally exposed work to date.
His accolades include:
- Black & White Spider Awards (California)
- International Color Awards
- Exhibitions in Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, and Ukraine
- Representation by YellowKorner, placing him in a global network of collectible photographers
Resonance with My Own Work
When I look at Lobanov’s work, I find myself imagining the unseen film around each image — the moments before and after the shutter clicked. That sense of story is what draws me in, and it’s what I try to carry into my own practice, inspiring my current Street Nudes & Public Spaces project.
What do you see when you look at his work? Does it feel like memory, like performance, or something in between?