Mitia Muravev and Peter Bondarenko’s self.space on redefining the portrait experience

Emirates Man, Lifestyle

On a Tuesday afternoon, Mitia Muravev and Peter Bondarenko join a Zoom call from different corners of the globe. There is a casual ease to our conversation, far removed from the stiff formality often associated with high-stakes entrepreneurship. Despite the distance and the digital interface, their shared energy is clear – a partnership built on a decade of navigating the creative industries together.

The conversation naturally turns to a specific, involuntary tension that often takes hold the moment a camera is pointed our way. Most men recognise the feeling: a slight stiffening of the shoulders, an overthinking of the hands, and a sudden awareness of being watched. We live in an era of hyper-visibility, yet capturing a version of ourselves that feels genuine remains an elusive task – self.space was designed to solve for that exact moment.

Peter Bondarenko and Mitia Muravev

Based in Dubai, the studio operates as a sanctuary for the image. The experience is centred on a private room where the clinical coldness of a traditional set is replaced by soft, tactile textures and a warm, ambient glow. Much of this inviting atmosphere is realised by Bleek Bureau, the multidisciplinary design studio whose vision for the décor and aesthetic defines the look and feel of self.space, which feels more like a private lounge than a production space. Inside, guests find a full-length mirror, a concealed camera, and a remote held in their own hand. By removing the photographer and the audience, the studio allows the person in front of the lens to dictate the pace.

The founders bring a deep history of visual storytelling to this concept. Before establishing themselves in the Middle East, the duo led a production agency creating campaigns for global brands including Nike, Google, and Apple Music. Their careers were built on the mechanics of the perfect shot, yet they found that the most compelling portraits occurred when the subject felt entirely unobserved. Their move to Dubai in 2021 became a period of quiet observation. Rather than launching immediately, Muravev and Bondarenko spent three years learning the nuances of the region and building relationships within the community. “If we had opened in our first year, it would have been a failure,” Muravev explains. “We had to understand how the region works. In Dubai, it takes time. People have to know you and trust you before you talk about business.”

This emphasis on trust became the foundation of the studio’s architecture and the team’s hospitality-led approach. The staff operates with a discreet, welcoming presence, ensuring the studio experience is seamless. In a market where privacy is a primary luxury, the founders integrated sophisticated security into the hospitality experience. Guests receive a private OTP via WhatsApp to access their digital galleries, ensuring the technical side of the business remains as discreet as the physical space.

“When a man feels relaxed, he tends to love his image,” Bondarenko observes. This insight is particularly relevant now, as image culture has become increasingly polished. Inside the studio, the first few frames usually carry the typical caution people bring to a camera. As the session continues and the music takes over, that posture eventually softens. The resulting images reflect a sense of comfort that is difficult to replicate in a traditional setting.

The founders view this approach as a way to complement the existing industry, acting as an additional tool for self-expression. “We will never say that we are replacing the photographers,” Muravev explains. “What we’re doing is helping people feel confident. It is as if we are simply another photographer in the industry.” This focus on the emotional outcome eventually changed how they spoke about the brand. They moved away from highlighting the software and began focusing on the details that foster confidence. While the studio operates through sophisticated technology, including an AI retouching system that refines images without dramatically altering the subject’s character, the emotional experience remains the priority.

This equilibrium between high-level systems and human intuition is a direct reflection of the founders’ own collaborative dynamic. The business relies on a clear division of expertise: Bondarenko oversees the engineering and AI development, while Muravev leads the hospitality and brand direction. By leaning into their different strengths, they are able to serve a diverse audience, from professionals updating their headshots to families documenting multiple generations together.

While the founders have global ambitions, they view the UAE as the essential starting point for their vision. “Dubai is a beautiful place to meet and test your ideas with people from all around the world,” Muravev says. There is a clear sense of pride in being a company born in the Emirates, using the region’s standards of hospitality as a blueprint for international expansion.

Ultimately, the success of the space lies in its understanding of a simple human need. In a world that is constantly asking us to perform, the greatest luxury is the freedom to simply show up as ourselves.

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Images: Supplied