Alexey Bednij: Light Tricks & Symmetries

A Parallel Planets piece by Unknown

At first it was the stark contrast of black and white which drew my eyes to Alexey Bednij's works. The sharp patterns and curious shapes played with my vision and kept me glued, my brain trying to decipher just what it was I was looking at.

Initially, Alexey Bednij's compositions seemed like a feat of luck and patience, with the perfectly placed elements looking like they just miraculously fell on the perfect spot within the frame, with the light hitting them at just the right angle. Upon closer inspection though, I saw that it was more the work of a masterful eye than fate and a whole lot of free time.

The Russian photographer is making a name for himself with playful shadow photographs which tease the eyes and the mind at the same time. He artfully fills each frame with positive and negative shapes, with light and shadow, which sort of create a visual tug and shove resulting in dynamic, captivating, and sometimes even mind-boggling images.

He also defies the laws of physics with his liberties on light play; logic obviously takes a backseat to aesthetics as he places his shadows this way and that, not caring about one of the primary rules of art and shading (and science). It doesn't matter though because the result is a unique and contemporary style which channels a lot of pop art elements - something that is not commonly seen in black and white photography, which tends to be largely moody and introspective. Alexey's works instead have a lightheartedness to them, a quirkiness, which makes them fun and refreshing.


Finding Alexey Bednij online is quite confusing as well. The Russian photographer also goes by the name of Alexey Menschikov (which seems to be his real name?), as seen on his Facebook and 500px accounts; but goes by just Bednij on Tumblr. Eitherway, all his pages exhibit a rich roster of works, ranging from his black and white shadow photography to zanier, colorful GIFs.

Whatever name he goes by, or style he goes for, Alexey's works carry  a distinct mood and personality that could only be attributed to one artist. And whatever direction he takes his shadow play and his other works, it's certainly going to be a pretty interesting one.