Aleksey Kondratyev: Ice Fisher

Photographer's Profile:
Aleksey Kondratyev is a Kyrgyzstani-born photographer currently based in Detroit. He received his BFA from Wayne State University in 2014. Kondratyev’s work has been exhibited at the Benaki Museum in Athens, Greece, Galleria Foto-Forum in Bolzano, Italy, FotoFestiwal Lodz in Lodz, Poland.

Project Description:
For generations, Kazakh fishers have set out on to the frozen Ishim river hoping to catch fish beneath the ice. These men brave temperatures that often reach -40 degrees. While they fish, they protect themselves from the harsh weather with salvaged pieces of plastic, patched together from discarded trash or rice bags that they find outside markets selling western and Chinese goods.