Unreal Estate

For sixteen years I have been making photos of my parents in the paradisiacal surroundings of our Russian summerhouse. The use of a certain kind of situation, often comic and absurd, turns my models into fictional characters. Because I know my characters so well, I can anticipate and trigger the situations I might be able to use, the ‘feel good moments’. This can be seen as escapism, but for me it is a way to deal with my fears of time, death and human nature. My photos are vanitas without the usual symbols. My themes are the flow of time, continuity and memory. Duration and memory are deeply embedded in perception. I am fascinated by the way memories change through repetition and grow to mythical proportions, and by our ability to steer memory in different directions. I strongly believe in intuitive, associative connections that are generated by knowledge and one’s personal experiences, by the work process and the logic of a material or a medium itself.
My good knowledge of the family micro-cosmos enables me to project all my ideas and interests onto this subject. The result can be compared to a long novel, like some of the Russian classics.