The project which is called “The third gender†I have started in 2014 year in Thailand where transsexuals (Katoeys Thai name) are considered to be a third gender in Thailand. 1 out of every 100 Thai men is a transsexual. In Western view phenomenal of people who change their sex is an anomaly but in Thailand it is normal. In Thailand "kathoey" is the commonly used umbrella term that gathers male to female transgender people, as well as effeminate men under its cover. «Kothoeys» are biological man who have been born with distinctly female hearts and minds. Some choose to have their anatomy corrected whilst others are content or simply give free reign to their effeminate mannerism. Currently I live in Vietnam where I carry on working on my project. To compare with Thailand in Vietnam transsexuals are very rare to be found on the streets. They are not tolerated by society. Just only a few of transgender in Vietnam dared to have had a reassignment surgery while others either simply cannot afford it or afraid of doing so because of the fear of their family. In Thailand people decide to undergo a reassignment surgery because it helps them to find a well-paid job. The more money they invest in operation the more money they except to earn in future and even marry a foreigner having a body of real woman. In Vietnam exists an old tradition when man dresses up as a woman and entertains people. It can be found even nowadays especially in Mekong Delta where transsexuals earn their leaving by traveling through the villages as a vagrant circus. They dance and sing and even do odd things such as swalloing burning coals or chewing glasses. Somitimes they are invited to enertain people on wedding and funirals. Generally these people lead a misirable life and that kind of circuses are becoming extinct In Thailand transsexuals are totally accepted by they family as long as they support them. Transsexuals in Thailand are able to find a well-paid job especially in cabaret show or in go-go bars. In Vietnam having a surgery closes the door on finding any job. Having appearance of the woman and at the same time male’s ID brings a great shame on them. So far there is no way to issue a passport in a new gender. Even to wear woman’s clothes in daily life is a huge challenge for many transsexuals in Vietnam. In short, to be a transgender in Vietnam is a challenge but they never give up even though they are not tolerated here and forced to hide their personality. They organize community they parade the streets to fight for their rights such as the ability to marry a man and to issue passports. I'm going to develop this project into a book that will be consisted of portraits and small descriptions of people who I portray. I am planning to take pictures of transsexuals throughout Southeast Asian countries to found out what kind of live they life and what kind of problem they face being different.
I am Moscow-based photographer. I have been working as a portrait photographer for since 2008. Basically I work with magazines. Since 2016 I have been working on my self-portrait project.
