An Inspired Mind Against a Burning Feeling of Loneliness: Karman Verdi

Karman Verdi is a Russian photographer with a passion for observing the outside world. He spends his time researching people with cameras and other tools. Join us as we explore Verdi’s photographic journey, creative process, and challenges as an artist living in a country where freedom of expression is not always guaranteed.

Photography is such a self-expressionist medium; if you give the same camera to a 100 people and tell them to photograph a subject, you will have 100 different pictures. How did you meet with photography?

Karman Verdi: I recently found some old 35mm photo film. They are from my childhood. These were shots that I took on camera at the age of 10. I didn’t remember it. Photography has been with me since an early age. I am still learning new things about myself. I think that the desire to observe the outside world has always been part of my personality. The older I get, the stronger this desire becomes.

What is loneliness for you?

Karman Verdi: For quite a long time I knew all the spectrums of this feeling. Loneliness can be present even when there are close enough people next to you. Loneliness is the highest feeling denoting human depth. Imagine that every person has a space inside their consciousness. Someone fills it with important things: people, interests, dreams, plans, and one day it is filled and people stop feeling a burning feeling of loneliness. But there are people who have too much of this space, and whatever they do, whatever things they put in there, it will not be enough. That’s how I can describe loneliness.

”Sometimes being in the right place at the right time is much more important than a talent honed over the years.”

– Karman Verdi

Where do you find inspiration?

Karman Verdi: Based on the last question, I can say that I find inspiration inside my mind. I have way too much junk in there. I just need to turn on some nice music, get comfortable and search.

Composition is a big part of your work. Do you usually have a vision in mind or does it take a few shots to get there?

Karman Verdi: I am guided only by my feelings. Before I start taking a picture of something, I imagine what it might look like. I take a few shots and if it is close to how it was in my imagination, then I turn off the camera and complete the shooting process.

Your work has a distinct visual style that gives away it’s yours to a familiar eye. How was the process of establishing your art language?

Karman Verdi: Every artist needs insight. Any creator is very flexible. It all depends on the mood in a particular segment of life. I did not have a goal to find a recognizable style. I observed the surrounding reality, lived my modest life as a small person, and one day I learned to transfer my feelings and experience into some pictures. Whether the style is recognizable, whether it will have an impact on future creators, time will tell.

What’s one advice you would give to emerging artists?

Karman Verdi: I’m still a beginner too. Everyone is in a hurry somewhere, they want to be called pros, but what’s the point? We learn all our lives, forget something, update something in memory, and so on in a circle. I would advise you to just do what you like, don’t listen to advice if something works out, don’t slow down and continue to do what you love.

What makes a photo ‘good’? Is it the message or the photo itself visually?

Karman Verdi: It is a successful combination of many things. Relevance, a great moment, a good idea and of course it’s luck. Sometimes being in the right place at the right time is much more important than a talent honed over the years.

One artist you’ve discovered recently?

Karman Verdi: If you notice, I have only one subscription on Instagram. I don’t follow other artists much, and I can’t follow my own life either. May I change your question and say something important? You may even have to cancel our interview. Now I live in Russia. Now there is injustice going on here. Due to the law, I cannot speak openly, but I will say that there is one very good person sitting in a maximum security prison right now. His name is Alexei Navalny. A documentary about him recently won an Oscar. His life is in danger. I would like your audience to pay attention to this. As long as people talk about him, as long as they know about him, he will be alive. Forgive me for introducing a bit of politics into our interview.

What’s one thing you would like to achieve before 2023 is over?

Karman Verdi: I think I would like to move to another country. I don’t feel free here. I have to subject my projects to severe self-censorship. You know, I’m not afraid to go to jail for my ideas and sense of justice and morality, but I have family and close people whom I can hurt with this. And I am a person who loves and thinks not only about himself. Within a few years, I need to figure out what to do next.

What is a crucial part of storytelling?

Karman Verdi: Sharpness. This word can be understood in different ways. I like versatility. Let people understand it the way they want.