We were lucky to catch up with Tatiana Ilina recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Tatiana thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Sometimes art can change how people see the world, but I want to change how the world sees people.

Through my imagery, I am passionate about giving a voice to the voiceless – shining a light on those whom society has often placed in darkness.

I have traveled around the world, working in different countries, creating social documentaries and art projects allowing me to look at things from the other side.

All my projects are important to me, I do socially oriented documentary photography, and one of the most significant I wanted to share is ” Little Stars”, the story is about the midget artists “The Shining of little stars” with their amazing traveling circus.

The first performance was in Ivanovo. The posters were placed all over the town and many inhabitants were surprised and sincerely confessed that they have never seen anything like this.

The hall was full nearly the entire day while the little stars performed in the Ivanovo circus. Many people came to a few shows and took more and more friends with them each time.

It is not surprising – the “Little stars” worked hard, they were attentive to the smallest details, rehearsed till late at night, and started getting dressed and putting make-up in a day before the performance. The circus hotels where they stayed were full of the USSR spirit.

Large wardrobes in the rooms served as storage for many flower bouquets that filled the rooms after each performance. The hotel staff has carefully decorated the wardrobes with posters from old teenage magazines.

This environment contrasts with the appearance of the little stars, with their practically perfect, artistic make-up and original suits which were made almost entirely by hand.

Only true stars can shine in any environment.

Their team was even more than this – more like a family, a kind of living organism. They felt and understood each other without words and almost seem to read each other’s thoughts. They had their own unique ideas and performances, but it all came together when the efforts of each performer were united into one single performance. I spent all my time with them – in hotels and at rehearsals. I tried to join their world, which attracted and enchanted me more and more every day.

Cat trainer Olga Suslova invited me to her room and introduced me to one of her pets, which did not take its eyes off chunks of raw meat that she was cooking for the next performance.

I was impressed. Olga, such a fragile, beautiful girl, was holding a large knife and cut a kilogram of fresh meat so fast, so artfully. She told me that work is her whole life. She is married, her husband has the same lifestyle. He is also a performer but in a Chinese-style circus. They have not had the opportunity to see each other for a long time due to their work and they are waiting for the day when they can be together at last.

Still, not all couples have such difficult circumstances. Many of them met and married while performing in the circus and live wonderfully, working for many years.

These special people have created their own world where they have found themselves. They are very happy little stars because they can shine for others.

This project on my website: https://www.tatianailina.com/galleries/little-stars/

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Photographer / Visual storyteller/ Appearance activist Sometimes art can change how people see the world, but I want to change how the world sees people.
Through my imagery, I am passionate about giving a voice to the voiceless – shining a light on those whom society has often placed in darkness.
I was brought to photography by cinema when I was 20 years old, and I was fascinated by the new wave in French movies, in particular, the films by Jean Luc Godard.
His films immersed me in a special, unlikely reality while watching them I understood that I wanted to stop the moments to capture reality and tell the stories with my photographs.
I have traveled around the world, working in different countries, creating social documentaries and art projects allowing me to look at things from the other side.
Resume: https://www.tatianailina.com/resume/
Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/tatiana-ilina/

Have been working in these fields for more than 16 years in different countries around the world.
After receiving a Masters’s Degree in Journalism/Social Media/News Production from International Independent Ecological-Political University, graduated from Rodchenko School of Photography and Media Arts.
Subsequently, graduated from ESEC Professional School in the field of film and audiovisual techniques. Recently, completed degrees with courses in Advertising and Art-direction from the School of Visual Arts in New York.

I do all kinds of commercial photography and videography for my clients as well,
I am happy to share my websites: www.tatianagodard.com where you can see more examples of commercial photography and www.tatianailina.com more about my social-oriented documentary projects, exhibitions, education, publications, and awards.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Absolutely, and I believe that every artist is driven by his special mission. My mission it’s changing the stereotypes and helping people see even very different beauty, accepting, loving, and knowing – to be better and change this world.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Sometimes art can change how people see the world, but I want to change how the world sees people.
Through my imagery, I am passionate about giving a voice to the voiceless – shining a light on those whom society has often placed in darkness.      

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tatianailina.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tianailina/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tianailina
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tatiana-ilina/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/TianaIlina
• Other: https://vimeo.com/tianailina