As most of the western world runs heads into recession, causing general panic amongst the usually smug city boys, the creative and artistic youth of the English speaking West ignore the impending threats and bathe in their bubbles of alcohol and promiscuity-induced ‘experimentalism.’ And in the midst of a rising "Ruski-Bit" youth movement, Moscow also has the much-publicized nouveau money-juggling generation currently enjoying their spoils in Russia’s capital. The current crisis not only reflects the financial problems the world faces in the next few years, but also the general apathy towards it by the young, artistic generation, whose repercussions it will most likely effect. Moscow is similarly undergoing a time of uncertainty and contradictory artistic experimentalism and economic recession: just last week the domino effect hit Russia as its stock market regulator momentarily ceased trading and all seemed to implode on Russia’s earlier predicted immune market.

Photographer Jabagh Kaghado grew up in New Jersey and studied in New York before becoming the assistant to the acclaimed Roxanne Lowit. Since relocating to Moscow and becoming one of the city’s hottest young properties, Kaghado found his photography and documentation of the new Russian youth in great demand, prompting work for big guns such as Vogue and Harpers Bazaar. Following the formation of his own photography and production business Brainstorm Management, he has plunged face-first into the cut-throat world of advertising, taking shots and directing commercials for the likes of MasterCard, Sony Ericsson and Coca-Cola. Kaghado has recently self-published his book MOSKVA RAW, a collection of photographs that documents this new Russian youth movement which won him the honor of being the youngest person to have an exhibition in the Moscow Museum of Modern Art.

In the midst of working on his feature film based on experiences in Moscow and intent on increasing the social awareness of personal problems he’s faced there, psychoPEDIA quizzed the super suave photographer on his current home-town and what he really thinks of this ultra-hyped, glamorous, big spending New Russian youth.

Do you feel this new Moscow generation has become apathetic to the problems of Russian society?
In a way, yes. The youth are so caught up with fashion and trying to be cool that they forget they are part of a bigger picture. Yet, many of them are actually aware and well informed. When you are young, you tend to be self-contained. This luxury lifestyle everyone talks about is not for the youth but it’s for the so-called “New Russians,” and even they are trying to remove themselves from that cheesy “I’m Rich” image to a more hip, relaxed attitude about their wealth.

As someone with a keen eye for the interesting and beautiful, where in Moscow would you go to find these characters?
That is one thing Moscow doesn’t have… districts with specific types of people, like what used to be Alphabet City, Camden Town, Marais, etc. There is no real downtown. But interesting people and beauties can be found all over the place.

Does this apply to artistic and creative areas, too?
Art in general is really thriving now; new galleries are popping up everywhere. People with money are either opening galleries or buying art. The film industry is also growing with bigger budgets. But I believe this is taking away from the Russian cinema characteristic. They are looking more like cheap, badly made Hollywood Blockbuster types with a lot of special effects, explosions, muscular dudes. This is not the direction I like in Russian cinema.

If you owned the keys to the city, where would you most like to shoot?
Moscow has great locations, especially when you are coming from the West. This may sound typical, but I would say the old KGB building.

You wouldn’t need the keys for this, but where do you go to eat most?
Moscow has lots of great places to eat out. Of course, I love my good old cheeseburger, super well done, and that’s at Starlite Diner.

What made you move from NYC to Moscow when so many people are going the other way for opportunities?
I wanted to provide and do something that has not been developed. Yes, Moscow is an old, historical city, but the industry is very young and I wanted to grow with something that is young and genuine. I knew NYC is not a place for experimentation and Moscow was. When you are young, you are always looking for a challenge and Moscow was my challenge.

~Kevin Soar