Zapovedniy

According to Russian pagan beliefs, apart from 'reservation', Zapovedniy also means 'mysterious ban' on remote areas, supposedly inhabited by unusual creatures. By means of sacrifices, the local population tries to stay on friendly terms with these supernatural creatures. But, no one really saw one of those alleged creatures, and nobody ever talks about the matter.

In the series Moscow becomes the aforementioned mysterious area. The tension one can feel in the streets of Moscow, be it as a visitor or an inhabitant, is being translated into surreal images that were taken in contemporary Russia. The familiar present is completely absent: in the Russian fairytales-based photos, mundane reality has become unrecognizable.

The new reality, which is a result of that, has several levels. Situations which have been found as they were, are combined with staged images; images which are sometimes founded in the realm of the imagination.

Nothing is what it seems to be and the beholder won't be offered one firm grip in his search for the truth.