Where bears live

Lyubov Arbachakova stands against the backdrop of the taiga in the village of Ust-Kabyrza. She is a representative of a small indigenous people of Siberia — the Shors. Their population remains low due to the complex interplay of harsh social conditions, the isolation of their traditional mountain-taiga lifestyle, genetic intolerance to alcohol, and a high rate of suicides.

Lyubov Arbachakova’s house in Siberia, March 7, 2025.Today, residents heat their homes with a mix of coal and wood — a compromise that keeps them warm but fills the air with carbon monoxide.There is no gas network in the region. Coal is mined in the Kemerovo region — it is cheaper and more accessible.

Lyubov Arbachakova (right), her nephew Vadik, and her husband Sasha stopped on March 7th, 2025, on their way home to Ust-Kabyrza to give their cat a rest. The mountain road from the district center Tashtalog to the village is difficult: it causes motion sickness in both people and animals. The road is often covered with snow, so in winter their trips often scheduled in time with the passenger bus, which runs twice a week, as snow removal is done for its run.

March the 7th, 2025, Lyubov Arbachakova against the backdrop of her paintings in her apartment in Tashtagol, where many of her artworks are stored. She is the only Shor among more than 14,000 artists in Russia’s largest union — a single voice carrying the memory of her people through art.

Lyubov Arbachakova is drawing a bear with birds in her house in Ust- Kabyrza on 08th of March 2025. Historically, the Shor people were divided into clan groups, each named after their place of residence or lineage. Every clan had its own totemic, sacred animal. Lyubov’s clan is Tayosh, whose totem animal is the bear.

Lyubov Arbachakova is drawing with pastels in her home in the village of Ust-Kabyrza on March 8, 2025. Born in 1963 in a small Siberian village, after school her older brother directed her to study forestry rather than art. But she could not stop drawing. Her creative path was shaped by missed opportunities, the harsh realities of life in the Shor community, and obligations and responsibilities to her family. Despite these hardships, Lyubov’s perseverance allowed her to become a recognized artist.

An accidentally dried butterfly in Lyubov Arbachakova’s bowl at her home in Ust-Kabyrza on March 7, 2025. She decided to preserve its beauty — just as she preserves the language and culture of her people. Through her work, she saves what little remains of the Shor worldview — a fragile culture at the edge of extinction.

On March 7th, 2025, Lyubov crosses a suspension bridge over the Mras-Su river in Ust-Kabyrza, a remote settelment in the Siberian taiga. Ust-Kabyrza has become the largest remaining settlement in the region, as life in smaller Shor villages grew too harsh to endure. Many have vanished entirely — including Lyubov’s birthplace, the village of Anzas, where no one lives anymore.

Lyubov Arbachakova stands on the frozen Mrass-Su River in the village of Ust-Kabyrza on March 8th, 2025. Despite the isolation and hardships of life in this remote Shor community, Lyubov actively participates in exhibitions, serves on juries, and speaks at public events. She has earned recognition for her artistic talent through decades of perseverance and meticulous work. Lyubov remains deeply rooted in her native land, valuing the cultural and natural environment of her home, and has no plans to relocate to a larger city for comfort or convenience.