Voids, vacuums, and other zones of uncertainty inspire the works of Alexei Sovertkov, a Moscow-based photographer and visual artist. Featured here is his newest series, “Temptation of Void,” which consists of a series of bizarre family portraits. Each person (and animal) poses with fishbowls over their heads, and their bright faces and bemused expressions invoke the style of Renaissance portraiture (something Sovertkov has explored before). In his description to this series, Sovertkov describes voidness as a “quality of consciousness” and also a “mental state” wherein there is complete and undiscriminated nothingness. The final two images are from a triptych called “In Vacuo,” which contemplates our understanding of matter.

Images © Alexei Sovertkov