Snow, Max Sher

Snow offers an intimate photographic exploration of Kars, a Turkish city steeped in centuries of complex history. Once the capital of Armenian kingdoms and later a strategic frontier for Byzantines, Seljuks, and Ottomans, Kars embodies the cultural and political entanglements of empires.

A pivotal moment came with the Russian takeover during the 1877-78 Russo-Turkish War. Following repeated sieges, Russia annexed Kars and established the Kars Oblast under a military-native government, reshaping its demographics and governance. This project reflects on the layered past of Kars - from colonial transformations and ethnic migrations to shared human experiences - challenging Orientalist narratives by revealing universal connections.

The book features several texts that intertwine images with the intricate social context. Dr. Kübra Zeynep Sariaslan also examined Snow by Orhan Pamuk from an anthropological perspective and contributed an essay to the book.

Max Sher is a photographer and visual artist based in Berlin since 2021. Born in St. Petersburg, raised in Siberia and educated in Siberia and France as a linguist, he took up photography in 2006, first as photo-journalist, then also as an artist. He is primarily interested in the representation of built environment, architecture, and infrastructure, as well as in investigating local/problematic histories.

Published by The Velvet Cell
Edition of 500
Hardcover
120 pages
210 x 280 mm
ISBN 9783911782005