I'm Looking for “Imperfect“ People

Featuring Pavel Golik Words by Nastasia Khmelnitski

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There's a yearning to reveal and explore a deeper sense in the human entity through a presentation of the model in a carefully chosen scenery. The location supports the atmosphere conveyed by the person. It's built and emphasized by the architecture of a specific corner chosen, by the part of an apartment’s authentic design stuck in the past, by the exhalation of the person in the frame. The post-soviet melancholy, the 60s and the 70s cinematographer, the taiga forests are challenged by the optimistic colors of Milan.

Pavel Golik is a photographer originally from Siberia, currently located in Milan and represented by 2DM MANAGEMENT. Pavel worked with clients like FarFetch, Off White, Vogue IT, Vogue Russia, and others. 

We speak with Pavel about his childhood and summer visits to his grandma’s house, his relocation to Milan, and fashion. Pavel shares insights on the way he discovered photography and his main passion in a way he builds his shots and the stories he's interested to tell with his work.

‘The most colorful memory is from my grandma's summer house. I used to spend all summers there from June till September. I started to take pictures there, as well.’

Hi Pavel, how are you doing these days? We’re so happy to have you on WÜL. You’re originally from Siberia. What is the most colorful memory you have from your hometown? How was it like growing in that area of the globe?

The most colorful memory is from my grandma's summer house. I used to spend all summers there from June till September. I started to take pictures there, as well. There was a river and an infinite taiga forest nearby. I still have a memory of one sunset in the forest. It was something truly magical.

You decided to move to Milan 6-7 years ago, a city that welcomes artists from around the world to live and create in it. Which new opportunities has Milan offered to you? 

‘Milan offered me lots of opportunities so far. I started to shoot professionally only in Milan almost two years ago. So all my first shootings happened here.’

Let’s go back to the beginning. What was the trigger or the initial moment for you, which led you to choose photography as a profession? 

This all started back in Russia. Again at my Grandma's summer house. I started to shoot nature first, not people. I think I had a lot of attention to the things that surrounded me, and I had that feeling that I wanted to share it with others. That’s why I started to take pictures. It's a transformation of the moments you fill into photographs.

Looking at yourself back then, when making this decision, what would be your advice to your younger self? 

‘The same thing I'm repeating to myself nowadays. Don't be afraid of anything, experiment a lot, try different methods of photography.’

You depict rebellious youth in a lot of your shoots. What fascinates you the most in this theme, and what were some of the things you discovered from learning or speaking with those individuals? 

I don't like when everything is too perfect in a photograph, too accurate. So I'm also looking for “imperfect“ people who are different from others.

What do you miss the most about Russia or Russian culture?

Sometimes in Italy, there is too much sun for me. I really like to be inspired by the Russian melancholic mood. But the whole winter in Russia can be too depressing. I love contrasts, it’s nice to get inspiration from both worlds. 

You photographed Gucci AW2020, the models pose as in mistake, looking strictly not to the camera. Tell about this experience. 

I admire a lot of old Maison Margiela backstages, simple random stuff in black and white. So I was trying to do something similar.

You focus a lot on a bizarre, new beauty, unique faces, and specifically personalities - capturing the moment of thought of an individual. Which visual aesthetic had the biggest influence on you?

Recently I watched Tarkovsky's interview where he was saying that we... the human being's personality is formed in the first years of their life. My first five years were during a transformation period in Russia when people were in a constant struggle with the new reality. They had to go beyond the limits, beyond their comfort zone. The same thing I'm looking for in people I’m shooting. People who go through their internal struggles, who are different from others. 

What contributes to the feeling of happiness, or what makes you happy? 

‘I am always trying to stay positive and enjoy every single day of my life. If I am alive and healthy, it means that I'm happy.’

What’s next? 

The plan is to shoot more interesting stories that tell something about people and the time we live in. Not only stupid fashion stories which tell nothing about our life.