Today Chechnya is an autonomous republic in the Russian Federation, subdued and pacified by force after centuries of rebellion against Moscow. Putin protégé president Ramzan Kadyrov holds absolute power and has almost limitless support from Moscow. "Davide Monteleone is well acquainted with the complex, tormented life of ordinary Chechens. He has crisscrossed the country, stopping in cities and villages, mountains and forests. This book contains neither majestic city- or country-scapes nor bloodspattered depictions of violence. Monteleone rather shows us the otherwise invisible: the stifling atmosphere, the regnant helplessness and fear, the young women resigned to their fate, and the elderly, whose traditional authority has diminished in the face of Kadyrov's brutes. But Monteleone's photographs also depict hope. Chechens are a mountain people who have endured wars and other atrocities for centuries, including the collective deportation to the arid Kazakh steppes and to Siberia under Stalin in 1944. They know how to resist, and they know when to wait. Strong by nature, they are able to laugh even amidst adversity, and they sustain a birthrate that repopulates the land and replaces the dead. They know perfectly well that this dictatorial regime will fall sooner or later, as it has in other Muslim countries." Galia Ackerman Davide Monteleone (b. 1974) started his career in 2000, when he became an editorial photographer for the Contrasto agency. The next year he moved to Moscow as a correspondent. This decision determined his ensuing career. Since 2003, Monteleone has lived between Italy and Russia, pursuing long-term personal projects. He published his first book Dusha, Russian Soul in 2007, followed by La Linea Inesistente in 2009, and Red Thistle in 2012. His projects have brought him numerous awards, including various World Press Photo prizes and several grants like "Aftermath" and the European Publisher Award. Recently, alongside the projects Monteleone has carried out or leading international magazines, foundations, and cultural institutions, he has been involved with exhibiting his work, teaching, and shooting short films. Since 2011 Davide has been a member of VII Photo. In 2009, Carmignac Gestion broadened its corporate sponsorship activities to include support for photojournalism. Under the leadership of Nathalie Gallon, the Foundation annually finances an in-depth photo reportage on a topic directly connected to current affairs: The Carmignac Gestion Photojournalism Award. The first awards went to photographers covering the Gaza Strip, Pashtunistan, Zimbabwe, and Chechnya. Iran is the subject for 2013.

Hardcover with text brochure
24 x 28 cm
164 pages
86 duotone illustrations
English, French
ISBN 978-3-86828-466-92013
Artist: Davide Monteleone
Editor: Carmignac Gestion Photojournalism Award, Nathalie Gallon
Texts: Galia Ackermann, Masha Gessen
Published by Kehrer
Design and Concept: Hannah Feldmeier