Luke Oppenheimer (Documentary Practice & Visual Journalism ‘17) launched his photo book Ottuk on May 1 at Constellation. The evening comprised a talk by the artist and his publishers, Aliens in Residence, followed by a screening of a short film shot by Byron Pace. 

In the winter of 2021, Oppenheimer travelled to the Tien Shan mountains of Central Kyrgyzstan for one month to cover a story about Ottuk, a small village of shepherds suffering from severe predation on livestock by a growing population of wolves. Every year wolves eat up to one hundred horses and countless sheep from the village. In the frigid winter months the men of the village venture into the surrounding mountains to hunt the wolves and mitigate their losses. What started out as a month long trip turned into a five-year-long project about the people of Ottuk, as he came to be accepted as a member of the village and adopted by one of the families. 

Oppenheimer said: "Since graduating ICP in 2017, it has been my dream to make photo books. Ottuk is my first book. From beginning the project in early 2021 to the release this month, it took me five years. I suppose for five years this book has been my main goal in life. This journey taught me the importance of patience, persistence and belief in the process. The book and the project itself has a life of its own now that it’s been released out into the world. I’m happy for the body of work as if it were a child I’m seeing off to university."

Ottuk is a deep dive into the dreams, hardships, joys, and sorrows of the villagers, their ancient way of life, and the landscape that shaped them. The book has been featured in The Guardian and Newsweek Japan.

All Images: Luke Oppenheimer