Kenny Karpov's book, A Small Corner of Hell, conveys on one hand a harsh reveal of a refugee crisis and yet, on another, an intimate journey in a new perspective; a fresh visual approach.

I’m Karpov a Russian photographer currently living in Detroit. I had planned on being in the field for a nonprofit starting April 1st. Since COVID-19 hit, I cannot travel abroad so I did the next best thing, I looked up a few nonprofits in the area I could work with as a volunteer. I started with Forgotten Harvest in late March attending various outdoor food banks across Detroit and the metro areas.

For his latest solo exhibition, Detroit photographer Kenny Karpov took to the Mediterranean Sea for a closer look at Europe's refugee crisis.

Many of the photos show Black bodies packed onto ship decks, calling to mind a modern-day slave ship. What gets lost in the mainstream media narrative of the refugees, Karpov believes, is that any of the African and Middle Eastern refugees are in fact fleeing the horrors of modern-day slavery, human trafficking, famine, and war.

Looking through his lens, photographer Kenny Karpov tries to capture who people truly are — their expressions, their bodies and the light in their eyes. His emotional portraits, paired with written work, tell their stories.

In Karpov’s latest project, the book “Despite It All We Never Learn,” he tells the stories of refugees, the real people going through travails on a journey toward better and safer lives.

Internationally acclaimed photographer and Detroit resident Kenny Karpov joins us to talk about his upcoming photo exhibit, “Despite It All, We Never Learn.”

The photos take you on a journey with Karpov on a refugee boat in the Mediterranean. It’s quite the story, and the opening event is at M Contemporary Gallery in Ferndale.

Despite It All We Never Learn, is a book of refugee testimonials taken from the Mediterranean Sea from those living in situations beyond our imaginations released by photographer and documentarian, Kenny Karpov.

Karpov’s mission is to share the stories of the many refugees that he encountered during his time in Europe. The book that he crowdfunded earlier this year, describes the agonizing first person narratives and impossible decisions that refugees have to make as they head toward what they believe is a better life.

Kenny Karpov will be the featured exhibiting artist at M Contemporary Art Gallery, right across the street from the Ferndale Library, starting November 22 -thru – December 15. This is his first solo exhibition, but Karpov is not an artist. Even if it is an exhibition in a gallery, with 21 works of photography, Karpov is not an artist, just as he’s not your typical photographer. At least he doesn’t talk like one; doesn’t live like one, and doesn’t, frankly, think like one.

Detroit native Kenny Karpov at 17 moved to New York where he became a photojournalist with the New York Times and the BBC. His story telling abilities drew the attention of international help organizations and as a result he has just published a book of his 4 1/2 year mission to document the rescue of Libyan and Syrian refugees in small boats in the Mediterranean sea.Detroit native Kenny Karpov at 17 moved to New York where he became a photojournalist with the New York Times and the BBC. His story telling abilities drew the attention of international help organizations and as a result he has just published a book of his 4 1/2 year mission to document the rescue of Libyan and Syrian refugees in small boats in the Mediterranean sea.

“Despite It All We Never Learn” is a collection of short essays and 85 testimonials from refugees that were recorded and written while Karpov was volunteering in the Mediterranean Sea onboard various rescue vessels operated by non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The purpose of the project is to increase awareness of the existence of the people taking to the sea and the abuses they endured through their own words.

An exhibition of Karpov's work will be on view at M Contemporary Art from November 22 - December 14, 2019.