N O W N E S S

Diving deeper than a simple vintage-inspired sci-fi shoot, Russian photographer Evgenij Yulkin’s “N O W N E S S” set utilizes classic alien invasion tropes to tell a story about humanity, otherness, and the power of courageous reconciliation.

Shot in dramatic black and white with a grainy film aesthetic, NOWNESS pulls the viewer into a familiar nostalgic, 1950’s cinema experience. Yulkin, however, departs from classic baby-boomer sci-fi narratives by positioning a strong female lead as protector rather than victim and revealing the classically villainous alien characters as not only allies but family. “They are afraid of the humans indeed, not aliens,” Yulkin explains. “It’s humans that pose a real threat to the woman and little girl.”

Yulkin uses these inverted characters to reveal embedded stereotypes and to draw attention to a shared human experience that crosses all cultures: the fear of asking for forgiveness and the courage necessary to expose oneself to potential rejection. “The aliens could be fugitives or deserters, or they could be victims too. In the end, we see that one of them is the father of the gifted child and all they want is to talk, to see, to touch, to apologize, to share sorrow.”

See the full NO W N E S S set here >>