Buy limited edition photo prints from Eastern Europe and Central Asia | The Calvert Journal Shop

Today, we’re excited to announce the launch of The Calvert Journal Shop. Photography has been a central aspect of our editorial mix since we launched The Calvert Journal in 2013 and New East Photo Prize in 2016. Our aim is to continue highlighting and supporting the work of young talent working in the region while also allowing our community to purchase high quality work at an affordable price.

For the inaugural edition, we have collaborated with six artists to offer you exclusive prints, available for purchase for four months only. You can browse the shop here.

Over the next two weeks we’ll be revealing the stories behind each print, told in the photographers’ own words. The image above was taken by Uzbek photographer Hassan Kurbanbaev. Since graduating from the Tashkent State University of Arts in 2004, he balances his commercial work with creative projects that ask questions about Uzbekistan’s identity and reveal the potential of the country’s current cultural landscape.

This photo was taken after several lockdowns in April 2021 when life started to return to its regular rhythm. I had been commissioned to shoot promo photos for a perfume by a Korean cosmetic brand: the brief asked for images featuring a beautiful horse in some wild place. I travelled to the Greater Chimgan peak of the Chatkal Mountain range, which can be seen from the streets of Tashkent. It is 70km from the capital (or for those of you who want to know the exact location, the GPS coordinates are 41°34’56.8"N 70°04’28.9"E).

The views from the peak are just spectacular. More than that, thought, when I think about this place I always remember how it sounds. It’s not complete silence, but it’s not noisy either: the quiet whistle of the wind, which picks up and dies down, or the gentle chirping of small birds hiding in boulders and stones.

This shot fills me with different emotions, but mostly, it makes me think of the extraordinary trust animals have for humans. Lukas, the stallion in the photo, was brought from Russia as a foal a few years ago. Since then he’s spent his time as part of a small horse riding club and according to the owner, has never travelled outside of it. As soon as he got out of the trailer and into the wilderness of the Chimgan mountains, he was instantly overwhelmed with feelings. It was incredible to see him behaving like a puppy, despite his imposing size. Lukas even has an instagram, you can follow his adventures here.

The print Untitled (In the Chimgan Mountains, April, 2021) is available for purchase in two sizes here. Read past interviews with Hassan Kurbanbaev on how Tashkent youth balance global trends and tradition and his award-winning project Logomania: Owning The World at Half Price.