The Eternals

I photograph playgrounds with mythic characters shaping children’s identities. Rewritten East Slavic tales have emptied these figures: only shells remain, easily filled with new meanings—often exploited by political regimes.

I travel around my hometown in search of “playgrounds” lined with characters from myths and fairy tales. I photograph objects created for children, because playgrounds help in the formation of identity and playing future social roles, such as playing doctor, teacher, pilot or scientist. These same playground objects substitute heroes from society with heroes from myths.

These heroes are empty, as East Slavic fairy tales have been rewritten many times. The people and creatures from them have been changed, their meaning and significance blurred, and their stories distorted beyond recognition. All that is left of them is a gutted shell into which any new meaning can be inserted, a new structure or interpretations can be invented to return the viewer to the archaic past that is supposed to shape archetypal thinking.

Political regimes often exploit devastated mythological images to fulfill their needs and objectives.