MONOTOWNS

A photographic exploration of the Soviet monotowns - urban settlements erected around single industries in the hinterlands of the former USSR -; some thriving, others struggling to survive, still others partially abandoned.Through nine chapters with over 130 photographs taken by Russian photographer Alexander Veryovkin, Monotowns by Zupagrafika captures the post-industrial landscapes and Soviet-era architecture of the monogorods extending from the Arctic Circle to the Russian Far East, such as Vorkuta, Norilsk, Mirny, Kirovsk, Tolyatti, Cherepovets, Magnitogorsk, Monchegorsk and Nikel, and the daily lives of their inhabitants. ?Monotowns is a follow-up to Concrete Siberia and Eastern Blocks, created by Zupagrafika. This time, David Navarro and Martyna Sobecka, the creators and curators of Monotowns, selected a number of cities and locations and invited Russian photographer Alexander Veryovkin to capture them. The featured photographs were taken over a two-year period during winter, with temperatures reaching as low as -35° Celsius in some places.