On Asphalt We Grow: Interview with Robin Tutenges

Can you tell us a bit about yourself? What inspired you to pick up photography?

I originally came to photography through my interest in journalism and geopolitics. Very quickly, I allowed my photographic practice -which I had pursued as a hobby since adolescence - to take over during my field investigations, to the point that I now make a living from my photo reports for the French and international press. I have since specialised in human rights violations, producing long-term photographic series in different countries around the world, while also striving to create more personal, more documentary-driven projects, such as the series selected here for the Sony World Photography Awards.

Your series On Asphalt We Grow was shortlisted in the Sony World Photography Awards 2025 Professional competition’s Sport category. What motivated you to pursue this project?

I covered the first hours of the Russian invasion of Ukraine for the press, but I quickly felt that I wasn't telling a story that was any different from the flood of news that overwhelmed us at the time. I wanted to take a step back and tell the story differently. I wanted to talk about Ukrainian youth, those in their twenties like me at the start of the invasion, whose lives have been devastated.

Through the young skateboarders, I was able to imagine what my life might have been like if I had been in their shoes, being a longtime skateboarder myself. The project became personal; the community immediately accepted me and let me document their daily lives. Talking about skateboarding and what it brings as an urban practice took on several dimensions in the context of war: we talk about forging connections when a whole world is collapsing, trying to continue living amid the chaos, living with anxieties and calming them through sport, taking back the streets, even though the scars of war have ravaged them.

Several dimensions and stories opened up to me, and I tried to photograph them sensitively and respectfully. I was also privileged to receive a grant from the Centre national des arts plastiques (CNAP) in France, which allowed me to take my time and also to work with film.

Were there any memorable moments or people you encountered while shooting this series?

Every encounter with Ukrainian skateboarders remains a memorable moment. They all have their own stories, often deeply affected by this war that took everything from them. There were young people barely 18 years old who had their eyes set on the United States and Europe, following skateboarding videos from there, and whose dreams were shattered by the war; Elya and Eric, two friends from Dnipro, who saw the Russians targeting their town, approaching day by day, but never stopped skateboarding; Vasilkan, originally from Odessa, who took refuge with skateboarding friends in Kyiv while his city was being bombed; and then those caught up in the war, like Mitya, a skateboarder from Bucha, who is still fighting today in the Ukrainian army. Many of the skaters I met have now gone to the front, and I am currently seeking for grants or funding for a new chapter in this photo series to find them again.

What's the best piece of advice you've ever received?

It's not advice, but rather a way of working. You have to take your time, treat photography like a marathon, not a sprint. Digging into stories to turn them into a universal narrative takes time, and out of respect for the testimonies gathered and the subject matter, it's also a necessity.

What have you been up to since being recognised in the Sony World Photography Awards? And what are your plans for the future?

The visibility of the Sony World Photography Awards has allowed me to exhibit this series in several places, from France to Colombia, notably at the Museum of Photography in Bogota. While waiting to be able to complete another chapter of this long-term project on Ukrainian skateboarders, I continue to work on long-term reports in different countries around the world. I was lucky enough to receive a grant from the Pulitzer Center in 2025 to continue another investigation, the Grand Prize at the Sarajevo Photo Festival for a long-term photo project in south east-asia, as well as the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Lucas Dolega SAIF 2025 Prize for a report on the civil war in Ethiopia.
 

About Robin Tutenges

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