The Only Dream

The Only Dream is a photo-documentary project carried out in various countries of the former Soviet Union, depicting the ambitions of children wishing to become professional wrestlers.

Big golden letters welded to a metal infrastructure, the Cyrillic typography reminds me of the days of the Soviet era: PLAZA. It's my first time in a wrestling club. 

Pushing open the slightly damp plastic door, I discover children, the very young ones barely six years old, in full effort. Their cheeks flushed, their foreheads sweating and guided by a platonic seriousness, they were doing sheathing exercises and sprawl techniques. I was immediately struck by the intensity of the lessons, by these young already muscular bodies and by the ardor in their eyes.

- What do you want to do when you grow up?

- Wrestling! Wrestling!

All kids want to be pro wrestlers. According to the coaches, it's a way of learning to be strong physically and mentally to face life's difficulties: "They won't all be champions, but we'll make men of them." one said. These young boys and girls are in intensive training, and they're already well-trained, proudly showing off as I point the lens in their direction.

I turned around them with my camera and was overwhelmed by the activity. A dozen children were rolling around on the floor, red shoes against blue shoes, blue shoes against blue shoes. This game of flesh offered a contrast between the gentleness of the children and the violence of the fighting.

The project aims to crystallize with an empathetic and admiring gaze the frontier where gentleness and violence collide.

These young people are as innocent as children and as serious as adults. In their eyes, you can see their enthusiasm or shyness and on their bodies, the consequences of sport: cauliflower ears, scratches and marks.

To move forward with this photo project, I plan to follow in the footsteps of my work in Kyrgyzstan and Georgia. I plan to visit other countries of the former Soviet bloc to open the door of new clubs, meet more coaches and kids to witness when the fire of ambition begins.

My goal is to present a non-exhaustive overview of aesthetic and sociological similarities and differences among young wrestlers.

The only dream ⎼ Le seul rêve