Vadim Stein was born in Kiev, Ukraine, in 1967, into a world that would later shape his artistic vision. He studied sculpture and restoration, which gave him a deep understanding of form and structure. From 1985 to 1992, he worked at the Theatre of Plastic Drama in Kiev as both an actor and a lighting designer.
Vadim Stein at a glance
- Born: 1967, Kiev, Ukraine
- Known for: Stark black-and-white photographs of dancers in sculptural poses
- Medium: Photography, with video, sculpture and stage design
- Training: Sculpture and restoration
- Earlier career: Actor and lighting designer, Theatre of Plastic Drama, Kiev (1985-1992)
- Featured in: My Modern Met, Photographize
- Lives and works: St. Petersburg, Russia
- Portfolio: behance.net/Vadim_Stein
The Theatre of Plastic Drama was an avant-garde company that performed pantomime-like plays without dialogue. Actors had to communicate purely through movement and expression. This experience became a key influence on Stein’s later photography, teaching him to see the human body as a language of its own.
After leaving the theatre, he focused on decorative sculpture and graphics. He needed to photograph his own sculptures, and that simple necessity became the beginning of his photography career. He now lives and works in St. Petersburg, Russia, a city known for its white nights and melancholic beauty.
His photographs are almost exclusively in black and white, creating a stark, dramatic aesthetic. He uses simple, unadorned backgrounds to place all focus on his subjects. Whether alone or in pairs, his dancers twist, bend, and contort into impossible positions, showcasing the strength and flexibility of their craft.
“The images created by me are an invented reality and have not something in common with the validity surrounding me!”
That quote from Stein reveals his whole philosophy. He is not interested in documenting reality. He wants to invent his own world, one where beauty and mystery take center stage. His images are an invitation for the soul to journey into an original and obsessive appreciation of beauty.
His sculpturesque approach to photography reveals his training as a sculptor. Every line, curve, and muscle in his photographs is carefully composed, like a living statue. His work has been featured in publications like My Modern Met and Photographize, and he continues to experiment with video as well.
He once stated, “Solving the aesthetic problem, I also reveal many ethical questions. For me, such things as love and death are revealed through the aesthetic category, beauty – the predecessor of ethics”. This profound belief drives his art, making it both visually stunning and intellectually engaging.
Q: What makes Vadim Stein’s photography unique?
A: His background in sculpture and theatre gives his work a sculptural, dramatic quality. He creates an “invented reality” through stark black-and-white images of dancers, focusing on the poetry of the human body in motion.
Q: Where does Vadim Stein live and work?
A: He was born in Kiev, Ukraine, but has lived and worked in St. Petersburg, Russia, for many years. He works as a photographer, videographer, sculptor, and stage designer.
You can find more of Vadim’s dance photography on his Behance page, behance.net/Vadim_Stein.