Book Review: Atlantic Coast by Anastasia Samoylova

Anastasia Samoylova’s Atlantic Coast is more than a photography book—it is a journey through the evolving landscape of the United States, both literal and metaphorical. Retracing U.S. Route 1 from Key West, Florida, to Fort Kent, Maine, seventy years after Berenice Abbott first documented the road, Samoylova offers a meditation on the tensions between nostalgia and progress, myth and reality, that continue to shape the American experience.

Lauren Richman’s essay provides an illuminating framework by tracing the history behind Abbott’s original Route 1 project in 1954. Against that backdrop, Samoylova undertakes a contemporary counterpart—an inquiry into how American identity has been constructed and how the myths that once defined it persist or unravel seventy years later. Her images reflect a nation caught between reverence for its past and anxiety about its future. Rather than making a statement or taking sides, she observes quietly, allowing the echoes of history to reveal themselves in the present moment.

In Atlantic Coast, Samoylova examines how cycles of the past resurface in today’s America. Her photographs thrive in moments of fragmentation and artifice, where reflections, duplications, and layered compositions reveal the fragility of appearances and the slow erosion beneath the surface. She captures stories with deep social and historical undercurrents, where people often appear as themselves—part of a living, breathing tableau of contemporary America. There’s a search for timelessness here, a nostalgic nod to ideals of individualism and to the small, family-run businesses that once symbolized national resilience, even as they now stand as reminders of enduring inequalities and economic realities.



Aruna D’Souza, in her essay “America Past, Present, and Future,” notes that Samoylova photographs the country with “an immigrant’s view of the United States—one conditioned by a life outside it.” Born in Russia, she brings both detachment and affection to her vision. That perspective resonated deeply with me. Having come to the United States from France, I recognize that same dual gaze—the mixture of fascination and distance, of discovery and questioning—that comes with experiencing America from the inside and the outside at once. Samoylova’s sensitivity to overlooked details and her ability to find beauty in the ordinary mirror my own impressions of the country I once called home.

The subject of Atlantic Coast also carries a personal echo. Having lived in Miami, I traveled part of this very road with my family, starting from Key West, and the book brought back memories of those long drives along the Florida Keys—the shifting light, the contrasts between lush nature and relentless development. Seeing Samoylova retrace this route, capturing both intimate and sweeping moments, made the work feel immediately familiar yet freshly insightful.

Her project naturally invites comparison with Robert Frank’s The Americans. Like Frank, Samoylova uses the road as both subject and metaphor, a means of understanding the country’s identity through its everyday surfaces. Yet, unlike Frank’s often critical tone, Samoylova remains politically neutral, using history as a mirror rather than a manifesto. Through her lens, she reveals how the past continually resurfaces in the present—quietly, insistently, and often beautifully.

Visually, Atlantic Coast is stunning. The vividness of Samoylova’s colors, the precision of her compositions, and the power of her use of shadow elevate each photograph into an artwork in its own right. Every image feels meticulously constructed yet entirely spontaneous—an interplay of light, geometry, and atmosphere that captures the poetry of the everyday. The contrasts between brightness and shadow, nature and structure, evoke a visual rhythm that runs throughout the book. Each frame is both observational and painterly, commanding attention with its beauty and depth.



The book’s production, co-published by Aperture and the Norton Museum of Art, is equally remarkable. The print quality is exceptional—colors are rendered with clarity and richness, allowing the subtleties of tone, light, and texture to emerge fully. Every page reflects careful curation and respect for the artist’s vision, resulting in a publication that is as tactilely satisfying as it is visually arresting. It’s the kind of book that demands to be revisited, each viewing revealing new details and connections.

The release coincides with two of Samoylova’s solo exhibitions of the same title: one opening at the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, Florida, on November 15, 2025, and another at Dot Fiftyone Gallery in Miami, Florida, opening on November 30, 2025. These exhibitions will further contextualize the work within the very landscapes that inspired it, offering viewers the chance to experience Atlantic Coast both as a printed object and an immersive visual journey.

For photographers, curators, and photography enthusiasts, Atlantic Coast is a striking example of how a deeply personal project can speak to broader social and cultural narratives. Through her lens, Samoylova transforms a familiar American roadway into a mirror reflecting the country’s aspirations, contradictions, and enduring spirit. The result is a visually breathtaking and intellectually rich work—one that lingers in the mind long after the last page is turned.