"Backyard Diaries showcases backyard cats as an alternative to meme cats and classic cat content found on the internet. These cats are not being pushed around in strollers, nor do they come from prestigious pedigrees. They are constantly engaged in a sometimes harsh struggle for survival, and their appearance reflects their past experiences. Through my work, I pay tribute to these outsiders of society. On the other hand, the series also reveals the less touristy areas of cities that, like the cats themselves, are often subject to gentrification.
The series began in St. Petersburg, where I photographed for “Nothing Personal - the back office of war” at a so-called defense fair. The sight of the merchants there depressed me, but when I stumbled upon a group of sleeping cats on a car in the backyard of my downtown house, I immediately felt a warm connection and continued the project in Bangkok, Atlantic City, and finally Istanbul. After the St. Petersburg edition sold out, the second edition featuring images from Bangkok was released in April 2023 by pupupublishing."
— Nikita Teryoshin
