N E W S L E T T E R

Picture Series

Nanna Heitmann
Hiding from Baba Yaga

A small ferry is the only connection to Erzhey, the Old Believers’ village. The Old Believers opposed the changes introduced by Patriarch Nikon, who reformed the liturgical books and rites of the Russian Orthodox Church. Many fled to the far-flung regions of Russia. Along the headwaters of the Yenisei, there are many villages of Old Believers, who still attempt to live independently, far from Western influences.
Julia dances five hours a day at the ballet academy in Krasnoyarsk. The usual school subjects are taught in addition to ballet. Julia dreams of becoming a ballerina.
Evgenii in his apartment in Krasnoyarsk with his rat, Barclay. After seeing the film “Ratatouille”, he immediately bought a rat at the pet shop. Next year, he is going to move to the USA for five months to earn money so he will be able to afford a car.
An old model plane. It is one of the countless treasures that Yuri finds at the garbage dump where he lives. Sometimes relatives come to visit and pick up toys for their children.
The Sayano-Shushenskaya GES hydroelectric power plant is the largest in Russia and the ninth-largest worldwide. It uses the energy of the Yenisei River. The plant was built to supply the largest aluminum factory in Krasnoyarsk with electricity. The construction of two huge dams created lakes nearly 400 kilometres in length. Villages made way for the water, and the climate has changed.
Khuresh is a traditional form of wrestling and the national sport of the Republic of Tuva in southern Siberia. No national festival takes place without a khuresh match. People from Tuva relate legends about their favourite athletes, ascribing them with superhuman abilities. In this picture, two boys are practicing Khuresh. The loser is the wrestler who first touches the ground with any body part other than his feet or hands.
“I have two homes. My first home is the forest and my second one is the library”, says this man. He owns a small piece of land in the forest, where he sleeps outside even at minus 50 degrees Celsius. He appreciates the beauty of nature and feels that he has been called to protect the great taiga from human interference and Chinese companies. He patrols the forest every day and studies matters of environmental law at the library.
A traditional horse race on the steppe is part of the Tuvan National Festival Nadym. It is 43 degrees Celsius. The horses and their riders cover a distance of 30 kilometres. Seven horses have died in the heat.
It is the summer holidays. Valentin has hurt his head swimming. An annoying horsefly sits on his hand.
A further specimen from the collection of biologist Nikolai Putinzov. He owns the largest collection of insects and amphibians in the Tuva region.
Sofia, a former ballerina, has been dancing at a strip club for six years. Because of a foot injury, she had to give up dancing at the Krasnoyarsk State Theatre. Today, she describes herself as an active sociopath. She does not want to be a pole dancer forever. Next year, she wants to apply to attend a theatre school.
In Siberia the dry, too-warm winter has caused many forest fires to spread this summer. They are a frequent occurrence in the densely wooded area. This forest is burning not far from the city of Minusinsk.
Yuri in front of the house he built himself: “I’m a simple worker. Nothing keeps me in the city anymore. All my friends are in the cemetery. Drugs or alcohol. Here, the air is clear and not dirty from all the coal dust.”
Biologist Nikolai Putinzov has the largest collection of insects and amphibians in the Tuva region. The biological diversity and water quality are threatened here: Chinese companies are extracting large quantities of gold, disposing of mercury in the Yenisei and clearing forests in order to export the raw materials to China.
Vaselisa in the Old Believers’ village. Her parents are deaf and are the only nonbelievers in a place that lives strictly according to centuries-old rituals. Vaselisa’s only friend lives in the village of Sisim; over the summer holidays, the two are separated by the Yenisei River. “As soon as we are together again, we’ll hold hands the entire time.”
The Sayano-Shushenskaya Dam is home to Russia’s largest hydroelectric power plant. It has brought long-term changes to the regional climate, which has become rainier and more humid.

For hundreds of years, people have been seeking shelter and protection in the taiga and on the banks of the Yenisei, a Siberian river that is around 3,487 kilometres long. It was not until 1607 that the Russians, hoping to hunt for valuable furs, reached the river from the west. Criminals, runaway serfs, renegades and adventurers joined forces in wild bands on horseback and spread across the vast taiga. Settler life in Siberia was quite carefree and independent for its time. Old Believers came to the pristine shores of the Yenisei to escape persecution at the hands of the tsars and, later, the Soviets. Today, most people are moving to large cities such as Moscow or Saint Petersburg. The Yenisei is increasingly becoming a mecca for dreamers and mavericks who want to withdraw from the world. Solitude, unfulfilled dreams and last hopes characterise the people here as much as the vast landscapes that offer freedom and places of retreat.

  • Everyday Life
  • Loneliness
  • Myth
  • Russia
Found in Research

LOBA 2019 finalist
Nanna Heitmann talks about her sensitive project Hiding from Baba Yaga with Leica – a world of loners, outsiders and dreamers.

Curated by René Schröder

© for all photos by the photographers
© for videos Lumix Festival Hanover, if not indicated otherwise.

*1994 in Ulm, Germany
Nanna Heitmann is studying Photojournalism and Documentary Photography at Hanover University of Applied Sciences and Arts. However, she currently lives in Moscow. Her documentary projects have appeared in publications such as De Volkskrant, Stern, The Washington Post and TIME magazine. In 2019, she won both the Leica Oscar Barnack Newcomer Award and the Ian Parry Award of Achievement. In the same year, the was a nominee of the Magnum agency.

www.nannaheitmann.com
@nannaheitmann

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