---

Samasthiti-Sanskrit for "returning to the original balanced state"

The concept of this book is to blend together two formally independent sequences of images, shot over a period of two months. The first sequence is part of a larger body of work taken in the area of conflict in Eastern Ukraine. It comprises images of urban destruction caused by heavy bombardment that are presented here in the order the shots were taken. The second sequence was made in Paris, providing technical images for an Ashtanga Yoga book published by teachers Gérald Disse and Linda Munro. This sequence is similarly strictly arranged, in the order the images were presented in the draft layout of the yoga book. The intentionally mechanical combination of these two unmanaged and independent sequences produces multiple new narratives for the viewer to interpret. Kosorukov´s Smasthiti serves as a metaphor for the new reality which he believes we are currently slowly drifting towards.

---

Kosorukov, Gleb
Born in a secret city, a nuclear research center in the Urals, Gleb Kosorukov moved to Moscow after completing school. There he continued his studies at the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, where he attained a master´s degree in nuclear physics. Directly after graduation he started a career in photography, contributing to publications including the New York Times, The Guardian and Time. Then moving to Paris, he drifted towards artistic practice, while making commercial work for Russian Vogue, i-D, GQ and Elle, among others. His recent years have been devoted mostly to personal projects. Kosorukov´s works are held in the Moscow Multimedia Art Museum, the State Russian Museum, the Museum of Moscow, and the State Hermitage. Steidl published Kosorukov´s Heroes of Labour in 2018.

---