Nicholás Efimtsev

Conversations is a monthly column of interviews with interesting people by Ricky Lee.

Nicholás Efimtsev is a photographic artist, one of the few who works in the genre of male portraiture in Russia. He was born in Kaluga in 1996. At the age of 15, he became interested in shooting with a film camera. At first, he took pictures exclusively of nature, then turned to human nature. Efimtsev's psychological portraits depict a person as they are. The photographer finds inspiration in the visual arts and literature. He is inspired by images of the Renaissance, the avant-garde language of structural and geometric designs by Alexander Rodchenko, and the ideas of the American writer Ray Bradbury. While traveling in America, he studied under the photographer Peter Lindbergh. He shot advertising campaigns for Davide Marello, Fakoshima Eyewear, Wolf Store, and the Tsvetnoy department store and collaborated with such magazines as Vogue Italia, Vogue Russia, Esquire Russia, and Numéro Russia. Efimtsev singles out the following photographers who influenced his professional vision formation: Richard Avedon, Robert Mapplethorpe, Man Ray, and Wilhelm Von Gloeden. The female portrait also attracts the artist's attention. He dreams of adding portraits of Marine Vacth, Julianne Moore, Marion Cotillard, and Isabelle Huppert to his collection.

The photographs featured in this column were taken between 2017 and 2021, and every year, Efimtsev increasingly delves into a black-and-white palette, and the plot, form, and texture come to the fore. Aesthetic carelessness has become a hallmark of Efimtsev's recognizable style. His passion for collecting old issues of Vogue magazine, or rather their scanned duplicates (since it was extremely difficult to get the originals), led Nicholás to his own visual language, which consists of postmodern destruction of the image showing the "ideal" as dual and elusive.

Ricky Lee: I've noticed that you started posting images of buildings and architecture. Can you tell me more about those photos?

Nicholás Efimtsev: It seems that after moving to France, I have become antisocial and very tired of the fashion industry, where I have worked for many years. Now, I have a strong desire for change and to break away from clichés, so I have started a macro project within my main project—focusing on shooting architecture and more documentary shots of the city and its inhabitants. I no longer want to shoot staged scenes; I want to live and capture real life.

Your portraits are beautiful and always appear to be very intimate and revealing. How do you achieve that special quality?

Thank you so much. Yes, it's a very intimate topic, but without any intimacy (!). I always feel deeply connected to the subjects I photograph, so I spend a lot of time with them, trying various ways to capture their best and hidden qualities. I love revealing aspects of people they may not notice in themselves or showing what someone discovers about themselves when they are alone with their thoughts.

Tell me about yourself. Where are you from, and where are you now?

I was born in Kaluga, 150 kilometers south of Moscow. After receiving a bachelor's degree in economics, I decided to become a visual artist. The romantic landscapes of his motherland, lively impressions from childhood, the musical traditions of my family and foreign travels, my passion for cinematography, and my natural capacity to learn from the great masters of photography – Those are the components of the original and ingenious scope of the gallery for me as a young artist. Annibale Carracci, Agnolo Bronzino, Jean Baptiste Chardin, Valentin Serov, Camille Claudel, and Wilhelm von Gloeden are among those who influenced me. My artistic approach is marked by a subtle touch of eroticism and sensual plasticity. Now, I'm based in Paris and trying to manage my new life outside my mother country.

How/when did you first start taking pictures?

I began my journey eight years ago in my hometown, Kaluga (200 kilometers away from Moscow). I never liked mathematics, so I skipped that subject in school and ran into the woods secretly from my parents, taking pictures of landscapes and my classmates. I still have a lot of landscape photos, but I rarely show them. They were first presented at my solo exhibition in Moscow in 2020, and it was very beautiful! Exhibition visitors highly appreciated them, but I couldn't believe it could be so.

How would you describe your work?

Intimate. Romantic. Languid. Melancholic. TIMELESS.

Please choose 5 of your favorite images and tell me a little about each of them.

Mikaël, Normandy, 2022

When I took this shot in Normandy almost a year ago, I couldn't have imagined that I would evoke René Magritte. Now I can say that it's almost an homage to his famous painting The Teacher. I created this image, I had the idea of depicting "opening horizons and new perspectives" in mind.

Jerome, Fecamp, 2019n

The man in this photo is named Jerome; he is French, whom I met on Instagram. He is a classic Frenchman from the fourth generation. One rainy day, we met in Paris and decided to organize a shoot in Normandy early in the morning.

I arrived in Normandy a whole day before him, and he was supposed to join me in the morning. Jerome was going through a tough period in his life: he was going through a divorce with his wife and trying to ensure that his daughter would stay with him. Because he was constantly on the phone with his lawyer, he missed his stop and got off in another town in Normandy. The distance between us was about an hour and a half by car. Jerome tried to catch a train to reach me but missed the station again. He sent a message saying he caught a ride and was already on his way. It was 5 p.m., and I was already losing hope that everything went according to plan and didn't believe Jerome would make it to me today. But suddenly, someone called me as I was walking along the promenade. I turned around and saw Jerome standing in front of me.

We decided that since the sun was setting, it was a sign that we should shoot the series early in the morning, as we had planned. We spent time in a bar, and at 6 a.m., we woke up, and I started shooting the reportage. We forgot about our plans and just let ourselves be. And these photos are still my favorites to this day!

Evgeni, Moscow, 2019

This series was planned down to the smallest detail, like on a canvas by Agnolo Bronzino. However, creating this shot was inspired by an exhibition I saw of Picasso (his pink period): clowns and circus performers with rosy cheeks. The color red plays a special role in my work. As you may have noticed earlier, the portraits are very intimate, and the red adds more contrast to this photograph.

Alexis and Matt, Paris, 2018n

It was very difficult to shoot such provocative shots while being in Russia. That's why I got used to traveling to Europe and doing much more than I could afford in Russia—for example, this shot of a gay couple. I was so excited to add this shot to my collection.

Elena, Moscow, 2022n

Unfortunately, there are no Greeks in my family, but I have a very strong love for perfect body proportions.

“I love revealing aspects of people they may not notice in themselves or showing what someone discovers about themselves when they are alone with their thoughts.”

Did you study photography?

Unfortunately, I only studied economics in university. I am self-taught in photography, but I have managed to succeed and turn my passion into work.

Who are your favorite artists?

I have many favorite artists, photographers, and musicians, but recently, I've narrowed it down and completely fallen in love with René Magrice's works! I am still amazed by his clever masterpieces! I recommend everyone visit The Musée Magrice Museum, located in the heart of Brussels.

What projects are you working on now?

I'm literally finishing up the last lines of my essay right now and then heading off to my favorite part of France —Normandy. I'll be filming local fishermen, capturing how they bravely battle storms and catch fish, crabs, and mollusks. Hopefully, I'll showcase this project not only on Instagram but also at an offline exhibition.

Anton, Moscow, 2019

Nicholás Efimtsev
@efimtsev_nicholas

Ricky Lee
@mr__ricky__lee

Ricky Lee photographed at 53 Restaurant, New York. Courtesy Fotini Lane.

Ricky Lee is a writer and curator based in New York.