Photo exhibition
In the southern city of Elista, the capital of the mysterious republic of Kalmykia, a photo exhibition “Wildlife of Kalmykia” will open on June 19, 2026, in the building of the N.N. Palmov National Museum of the Republic of Kalmykia. A source in the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Kalmykia announced today.
The exhibition will feature 25 striking works created by participants of the first “MIRACLE EVERYWHERE” Wildlife Photography School. The photographs were taken in the Black Lands Nature Reserve with the support of the Presidential Foundation for Nature Initiatives. They invite viewers to take a fresh look at the seemingly silent steppe.
The exhibition’s goal is to dispel the stereotype of the steppe as “empty”. Project author Pavel Ivshin notes, “Many people have this stereotype that the steppe is a void where nothing happens. In fact, life is thriving here; you just have to be able to see it. Our exhibition is an attempt to draw Russians’ attention to the region’s biodiversity. We want to introduce both visitors to the republic and local residents to what’s nearby but often goes unnoticed”.
The photographers’ route took them across the flat expanses of the northwestern Caspian region. The main subjects of the photographs were saigas —unique antelopes that have survived since the time of the mammoths—as well as endangered birds: avocets, black-winged stilts, European bee-eaters, and little owls. In addition to portraits of rare steppe inhabitants, the exhibition features landscapes, aerial photography, and even infrared photography, allowing one to see nature in an unexpected light.
The works include photographs with evocative titles: “Plate Makers” and their “Hunger Games”, “Tractor Driver’s Dreams” and “Rumble of Silence”. Each frame is more than just a photograph, but a separate story about the mysteries of nature, its fragile beauty, and hidden rhythms.
