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sergei_stroitelev

@sergei_stroitelev

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1191

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Photographer, Berlin 🇩🇪
Winner of:
@nppa
@premioluisvaltuena
@poyipics

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Hi friends!

ATTENTION! ACHTUNG!

The moment has arrived! By popular demand, I am launching pre-sales for my book “What She Carries: Inside the Bags and Minds of Berlin Women” dedicated to the identities of the wonderful Berlin women explored through the contents of their bags and stories! The book is going to be published by book publisher Dashbook.

Women’s handbags have always been a mystery to me. As a kid, I was convinced that my mom had to carry around all sorts of magical items, plus a couple of bricks in case she needed to save the world. As a grown man, I can’t say I find purses any less puzzling. So, driven purely by curiosity, I decided to ask some women I know, as well as a few strangers I bumped into on the street, to let me photograph the contents of their bags.
The upcoming book is a major part of the long-running, award-winning and viral project which I started back in 2017 in my hometown of St. Petersburg and continued to shoot in Berlin in 2025 whilst being obsessed with the diversity of this beautiful and crazy place.

This book won’t happen without you! The pre-sale campaign runs for 45 days. I need to reach 150 pre-sales on the official site of the publisher within that time to publish the book. If the goal of 150 copies isn’t met by the end of the campaign, all pre-orders will be refunded. If the goal is reached, everyone who buys the book during the pre-order period will have their name included in the acknowledgements as a thank-you for their support! Kindly help this book to see the light of the world!
You can find the link to the official pre-sale campaign in my bio.

You all know that I’ve poured all my childish curiosity and a great deal of creative energy into this project.
I have also done everything I could to keep the book as affordable as possible so that it can take a worthy place on every coffee table or bookshelf!

Pre-order, share, comment and like! Thank you so much for your support!
Sending lots of love and hugs! 🥰 taken in Berlin, Deutschland by @sergei_stroitelev

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4 days ago

Wow! I am really happy and honored to say that I was recognized as a Photographer of the Year at the Pictures of the Year Asia 2023 @poyasia !
Thanks a lot to all the judges for such a nice feedback and your warmth!
Thanks a lot to POY Asia team for your efforts and assistance. You organized really beautiful and competitive photography event.
And congrats to other winners! You have done really great work. by @sergei_stroitelev

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4 years ago

Happy to announce that my project Lost Light dedicated to the Ukrainian children refugees became one of the winners of Pictures of the Year International @poyipics in Portrait series category. Such an honour! Congrats to other colleagues and winners! by @sergei_stroitelev

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3 years ago

New bag today. This and other heroines can be found in my upcoming book which you can order by following the link in my bio!

Sofia, 21, German language teacher / writer, Mytishchi (Russia) - Berlin

“I love the German language; I love taking it apart, brick by brick, and I love seeing my students make progress - that’s why I get such a kick out of teaching.
My relationship with German has been a difficult one. I moved to Germany as a teenager, not by my own choice. I felt insecure about my language skills and would cry all the time. I actually hated German - until, in my final year of school, a teacher arrived who spoke about the German language and literature with such passion that he made me fall in love with both the language and him. That was when I started writing poems in German and reading more.

I enjoy collecting things from nature for herbariums and making little collages; I’m also inspired by the works Parajanov created while in prison. I collect acorns and chestnuts just for the sake of it - it’s a great stress-reliever. My pockets and every surface in my apartment are covered in them; they’re so smooth and pleasant to the touch.

Living in a big city is stressful. I hate taking public transport, I’m always running late, and I feel like I’m constantly rushing. This pace of life just doesn’t suit me - I’m drawn to nature.

The green toy is a little caterpillar named Polly! A friend of mine, Polina, gave it to me. She accompanies me on all my travels and helps me conduct lessons (especially with children). It’s funny - sometimes it’s really hard to keep a student focused on the topic, but if the caterpillar speaks for me, their attention perks up immediately. They’ll even bring their own toys to answer my ‘boring’ questions about the dative and accusative cases!

My bag is full of all sorts of odds and ends; you can never find anything in there - it’s all in a state of ‘creative chaos,’ much like my life. But there’s a separate little pocket filled with acorns - you can reach your hand in, and suddenly you’re no longer in Berlin, in a awkward situation, but on a riverbank, embracing a tall oak tree, with silence in your mind.” taken in Berlin, Deutschland by @sergei_stroitelev

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2 days ago

In August I went to France to work on the story dedicated to the Russian deserters who fled the war in Ukraine.
The story is now out in print on 9 pages, in weekend issue of NRC @nrcnl
Portraits from the story also made it to the cover of the issue. Always good to see photography in print!
Thank you very much Rachel Moron @rachenbach for your support, trust and for taking such good care of my photos.
Thank you very much Simone Peek @simpeek for the great text!
Pleasure to work with all of you!
I also would like to express my gratitude to the characters of the story for their patience and time.
I am glad that I’ve had a chance to tell your stories. by @sergei_stroitelev

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13 days ago

I have recently returned from Frejus (France) where the project Behind The Surface Of Addiction is being exhibited within the framework of 8th International Festival of Surrealist and Creative Photography @festival_surrealiste at the Villa Aurelienne.
It is so great and a bit surreal to see the pictures of my characters displayed in such a beautiful palace-like gallery.
The prints look amazing. We used Gold Fibre Ilford paper and it is just a perfect choice for this project since all objects acquire a sense of volume in the photographs due to the paper texture.
As you can see on the pictures I have made a small installation which includes the objects and a bag with the inscription “Berlinerin”. I believe it gives the exhibition even cozier look).
It was also good to meet colleagues and new friends.
Hope to be back next year. by @sergei_stroitelev

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20 days ago

Posting one more heroine from Behind The Surface Of Addiction project (a big spin off of my bags project) dedicated to the identities of female dr*g addicts of Berlin explored through their personal belongings.
A lot of things are now happening around the project that is why I have been posting a lot of extracts from this work.

Elena, 48 years old, Vilnius (Lithuania) - Berlin

“I’ve been a wanderer all my life. I’ve always been so restless. I guess I’m just like my mother - she loved to party and did not really take care of me and my siblings. I was also not a good mother for my two kids. Maybe it’s in my genes?

I get bored in one place, so I change companies and countries. Today I’m in Berlin, and tomorrow who knows where I’ll be. It’s a wild city, and that’s probably what keeps me going. There’s a bunch of crazy riffraff here, and you can get high with them in a tent. But it’s always unpredictable and can be dangerous. Men often try to r*pe me – that is too much even for wild me. So far I’ve successfully fought them off. I hope it stays that way. You can’t take me that easily! My berry is not ripe for you, f*ckers!

I’m constantly finding pencils on the streets of Berlin and collecting them. I’ve always loved drawing. But because I’m so restless, I could never finish a piece. I plan to draw, but I always put it off until next time. I get bored too quickly, just losing interest or attention. I think all this is happening because of the dr*gs. This freaking cr*ck is so add*ctive. I really hope there is a chance to quit this sh*t some day and launch a proper artistic career! I don’t mind! Haha! I should also start knitting. I have everything for that with me. Winter is coming soon, so I could knit myself a hat or mittens. It would be really great!” taken in Berlin, Deutschland by @sergei_stroitelev

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23 days ago

Here is that long-suffering post with photos from Berlin Pride - it got taken down several times, but guess what? It’s back, and it looks amazing!

It’s never too late to post photos from Berlin Pride. I didn’t post them right after the event because I felt it would be inappropriate. Many of you likely know that a tragedy occurred during the parade: a man drove into the crowd, killing one woman and injuring 26 other participants. However, friends in the community told me that holding back was a mistake; they said I really should post the photos to boost visibility and show that the incident didn’t scare the community or drive it apart.

P.S. I firmly believe that everyone has the right to love and to look however they choose. I try to promote these values not only through my coverage of events like this but also through long-term projects. My page is not a place for discrimination or hate. Friend, if you disagree, there’s no need to hit the «report» button (I consider that a cowardly, underhanded act and a total lack of respect for my work) - just move along.

Sending love and peace to everyone! ❤️🦄 by @sergei_stroitelev

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24 days ago

One more heroine Melanie from Behind The Surface Of Addiction chapter dedicated to the identities of dr*g addicted women of Berlin explored through their personal belongings and stories.

This is a revised version of Melanie’s composition since I met and photographed her several times.

Melanie, 32 years old, San-Paulo (Brazil) - Berlin

“I came to Berlin about 10 years ago after my Uni. I was young and curious and wanted to try living in Europe by myself. I worked various jobs, including as a waitress in a cafe, a cleaner, and even a cat sitter. A friend suggested I try s*x work. I thought it would be an easy way to get a lot of money, but the job was a nightmare full of violence which slowly turned my heart into a stone. I was introduced to cr*ck at one of the brothels and very quickly became heavily addicted. I find myself in a vicious circle - I keep giving my body to men for money to feed the dr*g beast within it.
My personal belongings are two main items. First, there’s my Buddha rosary. I’ve had it since my Brazilian days, a very long time. This item is always with me, and I hope it stays with me. I feel positive energy from it. I miss the sun and colours of Brazil, especially in Berlin winter.
The second main item is my smoking pipe. But I don’t smoke tobacco; I smoke some stronger stuff. I was given this tobacco on the subway when I was begging, and it kept spilling to the bottom of my purse, so now I have to clean it out.
I love chocolate, especially Kit Kats. But any other chocolate will do too. I love the very first bite, it’s the sweetest. Sometimes I ask a passerby to give me a piece instead of money if I see they are eating a chocolate bar. It also reminds me of childhood when we together with my bestie were sharing a chocolate bar and then went to the park to swim in the fountain.” taken in Berlin, Deutschland by @sergei_stroitelev

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a month ago

Happy to announce that my ongoing long-term project Behind The Surface Of Addiction dedicated to the identities of dr*g addicted women of Berlin explored through their personal belongings became one of the winners of Urban Photo Awards 2026 @urbanphotoawards
The project will be exhibited within the framework of 13th edition of Trieste Photo Days in Trieste (Italy) together with other great works.
Thanks jury members headed by @marktpower for the attention to my work!
Glad my heroines have a stronger voice!
I will be attending the festival in Trieste October 24-26 and will be happy to meet with friends and colleagues.
❤️ by @sergei_stroitelev

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a month ago

Today posting another heroine from Behind The Surface Of Add*ction chapter dedicated to the identities of dr*g add*cted women of Berlin explored through their personal belongings and stories.

Roxana, 35 years old, Munich - Berlin

“I started with dr*gs very early. I was an outcast due to my problems with communication and felt lonely all the time. Dr*gs gave me the feeling of connection. It was too late when I realized that it was an illusion. I was already deeply add*cted.
During my 20s I worked reception at various hotels in Munich, but it didn’t fit my lifestyle, and I could never get along with my bosses. I hate it when someone tells me what to do.
In 2015 together with my son we moved to Berlin. We wanted to change scenery after losing my husband to an ov*rdose, but I ended up in jail. My son was sent back to live with his grandmother. When I came out, a very difficult period began, I was completely broke, I just felt that this world did not need me, that I am kind of a superfluous element in the mechanism. My add*ction became stronger, I even tried to c*mmit s**cide due to severe depression. I couldn't bring myself to do it; I saw my grandmother's face before me, and she said, "Don't." Some higher powers saved me—perhaps for some purpose in the future.
My current plan is to quit dr*gs. I sometimes dream that I play the saxophone - I did that when I was a teenager. Maybe this is my true destiny, since all my relatives are musicians. My father is a jazzman, and my mother sang in a choir. I adore Amy Winehouse; her wedding was the day after mine, but I wouldn’t want to end up like her.
My life and my stuff are really messy. The only valuable thing I have is this blanket which one of my few friends stole from a baby stroller on the street. I understand that stealing is wrong, but this blanket warms me. I was very pleased to receive this gift because it helps me maintain my weak faith in people. Oh and this wooden ladybug! I found it somewhere on the street and now it is my mascot!” taken in Berlin, Deutschland by @sergei_stroitelev

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a month ago

Two of my popular projects about identities of women of Berlin explored through contents of their bags and about cat owners pretend to be their pets published together in Japanese magazine Maps @mapsworld_media
Thanks for the invitation and such an interesting layout!

Cool that ladies with their bags and cats and other beautiful people and all sort of fascinating creatures on my photos travel the world.

❤️ by @sergei_stroitelev

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2 months ago