The GuardiansPhotography // Wednesday, 16 Jul 2014
After visiting 9 cities and meeting close to 250 shopkeepers, photographer Vladimir Antaki created his series “The Guardians”. Antaki found that he was attracted to the small hidden city shops that drew it’s customers in with visually overwhelming displays and the individuals who were there to guard them. Each portrait portrays the shopkeeper or “guardian” within the chaotic landscape of each store and the objects that occupy the shelves. From bookstores to auto shops, antiques stores to toy stores, Antaki uses the clutter as a method for drawing the viewer into each image, just as each guardian uses it to attract customers.
text by Canbra Hodsdon