From the series For the Grace of God by Vladimir Karamazov
Vladimir Karamazov was best known as a film, television and stage actor before he decided to do what he loved best. Take pictures.
Since becoming a professional photographer in 2019 at age 40, Karamazov has been recognised in numerous competitions, from the Sony World Photography Awards to the Hasselblad Masters. Now he is publishing his first photobook.
“The moment came when I wanted to express myself through my art, not to be an interpreter, but to be a creator,” writes Karamazov, who was born in Sofia, Bulgaria. “I'm looking for special people with dramatic and interesting stories. Photography helps me get to know humanity in its complexity and scale and reveals my true self.”
From the series For the Grace of God by Vladimir Karamazov
He found plenty of drama and complexity behind the walls of Belene Prison. The notorious high-security facility on Belene Island once housed a detention camp for opponents of the Bulgarian Communist Party. Today’s prison, which butts up against a nature park, is home to the largest number of inmates serving life sentences for murder in any Bulgarian jail.
Karamazov was determined to share the stories of these men – and find out more about the motivations behind their crimes. The resulting book, For the Grace of God, published by GOST, is a visual journey into a hidden world.
From the series For the Grace of God by Vladimir Karamazov
“Ordinary citizens in my country know nothing about prisons and have no real idea what it means to be confined or to serve a sentence of deprivation of liberty,” says Karamazov. “That is why I wanted to show the project to the public – to open this door and reveal the reality, to tell the stories and demonstrate that a crime often has roots in childhood and that, very often, we as a society are also to blame because of our inaction."
From the series For the Grace of God by Vladimir Karamazov
He adds, “Тhe people in the basement are just as real as those in the ‘light’ outside. And one way to bring more light into the basement, to help more people come out into the light, is for someone to dare to open the door. I hope this book offers a different, humane perspective toward the most hated people, to show that they are human beings too.”
From the series For the Grace of God by Vladimir Karamazov
For the Grace of God by Vladimir Karamazov is published in August 2026 by GOST Books.
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