Katia Repina

← Back to Artists

Angela He • Bayan Kiwan • Caroline Sinders • Death, Sex & Money • Kaho Abe • Katia Repina • Lam Thuy Vo • Lauren Lee McCarthy • Mickalene Thomas • Mimi Ọnụọha • Tamiko Thiel • Tega Brain and Sam Lavigne • The Cut

Intimacy in Times of Corona

There is a cherry blossom tree in the foreground of this image. Behind it are two people sitting on a bench. They are social distancing and wearing face masks.

A couple wearing puffer coats are linking arms while waiting to cross a street. We can see one of their faces. She is wearing a face mask.

Two people stand next to a body of water with a city in the horizon. They are social distancing and not wearing face maks.

A presumed couple reads outside. One of them is wearing a face mask.

A couple are shot from above while one of the subjects lies in the other's lap in a field

Two people sit near a body of water on metal chairs. The man whose face we can see is wearing latex gloves and has a face mask pulled down to his chin.

Two people sit in a park. They are close but social distancing. One of them is reaching out to the other with a face mask on.

A man and woman lie down in the grass looking up at the sky

A man and woman sit on grass while the man's legs are in the woman's arms

A couple stands overlooking the water while wearing masks

A couple is sitting on a bench near a river while sitting far apart and masked

Two people are sitting on a table near a river. One of them is a man wearing gloves who is gesturing towards the person he is sitting with

Two people sit on reclining chairs near a river while the man gestures towards the other person

Two people are sitting close together on the rocks by the river. A tree and pole are in the foreground

A couple sit on a park bench sitting apart while the man gestures towards the woman

During three months of shelter-in-place in NYC, I was interested in investigating the transformation of intimacy in times of COVID 19. For those who do not find themselves isolated with a partner, the absence of physical touch is having a profound psychological impact and is greatly affecting the way we date and try to connect. I have been observing from a safe distance couples that quarantine together. Will romantic relationships develop stronger connections in quarantine or will these connections suffer from constant close proximity?

– Katia Repina

A Brooklyn Photographer Explores Intimacy in a Year of Social Distancing

“Repina’s voyeuristic photos, all shot in the borough, comprise her exhibition ‘Intimacy in the Time of Corona.’ The images are seemingly mundane at first, and yet slightly haunting when studied with some attention. Couples, out in public, interact while showing varying degrees of closeness in a year that demanded anything but. A man reaches out to a woman, both in masks, in the heart of Prospect Park’s yawning meadow. A Hasidic couple smiles at each other on a rocky Red Hook outcropping, the viewer’s gaze framed by the bushes and bridge on which Repina stands creeping/shooting.” – Brooklyn Magazine

Repina tells Brooklyn Mag:

To some, creating an intimate experience via the pixel and screen has seemed impossible. But what do we mean by intimate? If it is not the human touch combined with a kind of spiritual presence that can only be found in the company of another, is the meaning of the word being watered down, or is it being transformed and expanded, stretching to include even those with whom we do not share a physical space?

Katia Repina is wearing a leather jacket. Her arms are crossed and is looking into the camera. Out of focus are cars and a house. — Image courtesy of the artist.

Katia Repina is a Russian documentary photographer, videographer and visual artist. After graduating from a University in Moscow with a degree in Management and Economics Katia moved to Barcelona where she studied photojournalism and documentary photography and video. Based in NYC since 2017, Katia focuses her documentary projects on intimate stories and spotlight the issues of gender, identity, human relationships and sexuality. Inbetween documentary projects, Katia photographs weddings and considers herself a seeker of emotions, searching for those rare and intimate magical moments between loved ones.

Her projects and short films were screened and exhibited in France, Spain, Argentina, Belarus, UK, USA, Canada, Romania, Malaysia, Cambodia, Germany, Australia. Her images can be found in publications like The New York Times, TIME, The Washington Post, Vogue, Wordt Vervolgd -Amnesty International Netherland´s magazine, The Huffington Post, Stern.de, Playboy Mexico, Tages-Anzeiger.

Katia is a member of Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective and Women Photograph Group.

Visit her website here.