We are happy to invite you to the first virtual exhibition of Professor Yuri Popkov, our editorial board member and Doctor of Philosophy, Deputy Director of the Institute of Philosophy and Law of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.  He is an ethno-sociologist, well-known both in Russia and internationally, frequently visiting Tuva with lectures and research expeditions. He is also known as a person with a delicate soul who hardly ever parts with his camera. Although we are not professional photographers, we like the work of our colleague very much. We believe that this is what a true researcher should be like  - always enthusiastic, versatile, creative..

The exhibition is devoted to the Day of Science in Russia.

Editorial Board 

As a professional ethno-sociologist I often have to travel – both in Russia and abroad. I use this opportunity not only for my research but also for  extensive observation through the lens of my camera of the surrounding environment and everyday life. Besides, my photos have recently become useful visual illustrations of some of my research results. For instance, they help to document the new life of traditions of various peoples, their close entanglement with modernity.

In the conditions of globalization the local features of various regions and cultures become more and more important. Their main value lies in their distinctive nature. We can just take a close look at what surrounds us in order to see the unmatched beauty of different places, both of the macro and micro-world. It is this local beauty in its various manifestations which makes up the multi-colored bouquet of the natural and cultural wealth of Russia.

For this exhibition I have selected a series of photos, mostly landscapes, which, in my opinion, convey the unique beauty of very different places in our country. They are grouped into ten mini-collections. Every collection focuses on a specific theme (autumn, fog, plants, shores, snow-frost, luminaries, churches, winter views, blossoming landscapes, water). At the same time, the photos convey gradations within theses themes (different kinds of autumn, various fogs, different shores …). The local is unique, as is every moment in time. But, at the same time, it is something that is quite recognizable and acceptable. It is these very moments that generate love for one’s home grounds which, I believe, is essential for loving one’s country, one’s Motherland.

Yuri Popkov

The contrast. Eye-catching withering of the trees against the background of bright green grass in a Moscow park.	Autumn in the Sayan Mountains. I was amazed by the beauty of the mountains and the majesty of the Kaa-Khem (the small Yenisei) in Tuva. This is the view from the mountain nearest to the Erzhey village. I got there on an early September morning after a breath-taking two-hour climb.	The Katun river in autumn. The river is charmingly turquoise in autumn, when silt goes down the torrential water.	The gloomy Baikal Lake. The Shaman bay on Olkhon - the largest Baikal island which seldom looks welcoming in cloudy weather.
The evening mist. It seemed that in the evening mist just suddenly fell on Teletskoye Lake.	The rainy mist. The rain and mist make Baikal look stern.	The winter fog. In Dudinka, one of the most Northern towns on Earth, ships arrive for unloading even during most severe frosts generating a very special winter fog.	The morning mist. The mist adds charm to any landscape. It made Teletskoye Lake look peaceful.
A mystery of nature. I'd never have thought that a faded Baikal snowdrop may look like this on an early morning.	The thirst for life. Would never believe that a tree could grow over the rock if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes (Khakassia).	Raskardash. Another faded snowdrop, a disheveled one.	A blossoming swamp. In the Altay mountains even swamps are beautiful.
Anticipation of spring. A Baikal shore on a sunny spring day: one wants to fly!	A summer morning. On coming to the shore of Teletskoye Lake I found myself on another planet.	The rampant Katun. One of the narrowest and deepest places in midstream in the summer. Its torrential flow makes one spell-bound!	The reflection. Took me an hour to walk from my summer house to this large pond not only to fish but also enjoy this morning beauty.
The beauties. Man and nature live in harmony in Novosibirsk academic town.	Yugra lacework. It looked as if the government building of the Khanty-Mansi autonomous district (Yugra) distanced itself from everyone with this nice winter barricade.	Siberian patterns. Kudryashevskiy pine wood near Novosibirsk looks best on frostiest days.	A swamp in early winter. The swamps may look appealing not only in summer Altay but also within winter city limit.
Sunrise on Baikal Lake. Two giants (the terrestrial Baikal and the cosmic sun) in one rising flow make a dazzling view!	Sunset at the Black Sea. The color gamma of the sunset changes every minute.	A morning on the Lena river. The mirror-like surface of the river, the seemingly silent motion of the boat and the huge heavenly body reflected in the water: it is impossible to turn away!	1.30 a.m. on the lower Ob river. One of the high moments in my life that I was lucky to experience – the endpoint of sunset which is still above the horizon is, at the same time, the beginning of sunrise. This moment was worth spending a freezing night on the Ob river bank in Yamal, right at the Arctic Circle.
Ivolgin Datsan. The new building in the Buddhist temple-university in Buryatia. Together with the others it catches one's eye due to its characteristic architecture and color set.	The Cathedral of Christ the Savior. I tried to get an unusual angle of this renowned orthodox cathedral.	The mosque in the Kazan Kremlin. Rare neighbors!	Solovetsky monastery. Amazing beauty not only of the monastery and adjacent buildings but the surrounding Solovetsky islands in the White Sea. But even more amazing is the fortitude of the people who did it. I think that in order to feel the greatness and special atmosphere of the Solovetsky monastery you need to see all this with your own eyes.
The first snow. I've taken many pictures of this overgrown pond (including pictures from the same spot) but it is always different.	A Moscow landscape. I am happy for my Moscow friends who have this beautiful park right under their windows.	A Volga landscape. It feels good (as back in youth) to get to Venets (the highest point in town), and enjoy the wonderful view of the bridge across the Volga river in Ulyanovsk.	The Sayan mountains. On mountain tops there is always a winter landscape.
A sign of spring. I took this picture several years ago close to my summer house and, for some reason, it still keeps attracting me.	On mountain rocks. On summer mountain tops in Khakassia it is still a blossoming spring.	A high-mountain lake. Transparent water, unthawed snow, bright greenery and beautiful flowers: it is impossible to hold back admiration!	The Patmos Island on the Katun river. One can take hours looking at this steep-coast and hard-to-approach (but for the bridge) island with a small church in the middle of the fast-moving Katun river, especially with flowering ledum shrubs on the river banks.
Teletsk Lake. Total blueness!	Kaa-Khem (The small Yenisey). Ringing purity!!	On the Volga river. An attractive view into the distance.	Roads, roads? On seeing this landscape out of the plane window it took me some time to realize that it is a not a road but a flooded river and sandy banks of the lower Ob river.