This is some text inside of a div block.
Text Link
“Why women? because I believe that women would never start a war. They know how difficult it is to create a human, to create life.”
World-known photographer and artist, Natalie Karpushenko finds a true connection with the feminine principle, in method and subject. You can feel it in her work. The next several pages offer an experience of her inspired sensitivity. Witness what comes from slowing down to linger in the present moment. Yield to nature with curiosity and courage.
Her work is planned, but never forced. She lovingly guides but waits for the meaningful moments to flourish as “human in nature and the nature in human.” Each image is a moment held in time. What we feel is timeless, the wild woman seizing her wilderness from a place of love, not fear.
“I was born and raised in Kazakhstan. From a very young age I adored drawing, painting and animals. Instead of watching cartoons l was watching Animal Planet and the Discovery Channel. I also used to rescue ill cats from the street, revive them, and place them in loving homes. Somewhere along the way, I became fascinated with whales. Swimming with them became my biggest dream — one I never expected to come true.
When photography found its way to me at age 18, I fell in love with it, bought my first camera and began to travel. I let my eyes be my guide and over the past ten years they've led me around the world from Alaska and South Africa to Tonga and Bali.
Early in my travels, I met my muses: Mother Nature, especially the element of water and the human figure. What excites me most is capturing the union of the human in nature and nature in humans. Photography is my way of telling love stories. In my works, I strive to capture a feeling that viewers can connect with. I hope they can see themselves as part of the love story. When we think, act and live from a place of love, we can coexist, make conscious choices and experience the most beautiful version of ourselves, others and the world around us. That is the story I am inspired to illustrate...to show that it is possible for everyone.
I like this phrase, ‘Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.’ I believe we can see beauty in everything — in an empty room, in black snow, in a wilting flower, and in every human, animal and landscape. Beauty is also just being natural — natural love, emotions, smiles, humans. Raw beauty is the most powerful, and it's only visible in natural states of being. I cannot live without beauty. It keeps me inspired to create and connect and explore. It gives me joy and helps me share joy too. It also helps me create homes wherever I go. As long as I can connect with the beauty of a place or people, I feel a sense of belonging and home. The book, Rebirth, is a home for my works to live together and I made it as an invitation for you to come inside.”
“I want my photos to unleash people's imaginations. I want them to open their eyes to the numerous beautiful moments in their everyday lives. People are familiar with a certain type of reality, and I want them to move beyond that and see the world through a new lens.”
“I want people to feel how beautiful, powerful and essential the ocean is in their heart. Because feeling is the beginning of truly seeing. I don't want to show pictures of death and destruction, I want to inspire appreciation and feelings of protection for the ocean — these photographs strive to spark hope for the preservation of marine life and awe for the interaction between man and animal.”
“The Ocean, with its infinite depths and undulating movements, is like the hearts of women. It mirrors the vastness of our emotions, the richness of our intuition and the depth of our connection to the natural world. As we look upon its rolling waves, we are reminded of the endless possibilities that exist within us, just as water represents life, purification and transformation.”
“To illuminate this beauty, I like to draw parallels between humans and animals in nature. When I see animals roaming in their natural habitat, they recall to me that we, humans, have not always lived in civilization. Animals in nature are naked, humans are born naked. It shows how every life form on earth is beautiful as it is — in the primal, natural state without adding anything. This is the raw beauty of being alive and it seems that all living beings share one thing in common — they want to connect.”
“Rivers – like the veins in our bodies – carry the life force of the earth, sustaining and nourishing the ocean. We are entwined with this life source, much like an umbilical cord connecting us to the placenta. It is our duty to protect and preserve this sacred connection to the waters, to the ocean, to honor and respect its vital role in our lives.
Braided hair, too, is a symbol of unity among women, binding us together through its representation of our shared lineage. Like our hair woven together, so are our lives and experiences intertwined.”
“Black lava was once fiery red,
burning hot and capable of
destroying everything in its way.
But it also symbolizes renewal,
rebirth, a new cycle of life.
Naked women with closed eyes
laying on black lava.
Why women?
because I believe that
women would never start a war.
They know how difficult it is to
create a human, to create life.
Humans are black lava too —
we can burn and cause great harm
to each other. We can also work
together to make peace, pave new
paths forward, start new life.
And we must always remember
that when one of us bleeds
we all bleed.
We all are the same color inside.”
“Whether my photographs capture connections between human and animal, animal and environment or human and nature - any combination, my works are here to guide us in remembering where we came from and the various things we are connected to.
I am grateful to the earth and ourselves, and I want my art to be the movement that awakens the viewer to the passion for wanting to protect and care for these values.
And I want this to be a statement that if we want to preserve and restore the natural beauty of our world, we must open our eyes and see things as they originally were, in their natural, unaltered states. We must not undermine, distort, or edit the world to suit our ways."
Immerse yourself in a visual journey through the creative lens of Natalie Karpushenko, a Kazakhstani photographer and environmental activist. Her limited edition book, REBIRTH, showcases her captivating artwork experimenting with female figures, animals, and natural elements, emphasizing the importance of preserving our planet's landscapes. Inspired by Mother Nature, particularly water, Natalie advocates for ocean and whale conservation, unveiling a world of beauty and featuring never-before-seen images from her acclaimed series, “Ocean Breath” and “Rising Woman,” which have earned prestigious international recognition.