light painting photography turns brutalist monuments into surreal images

photographer yang xiao traveled across eastern europe to capture a series of brutalist and soviet modernist architecture.

inhiu edited by sofia lekka angelopoulou June 21, 2021 3 min

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designer and photographer yang xiao blurs the line between reality and fantasy with a photo series titled ‘ETERNAL MONUMENTS IN THE DARK’. the project focuses on brutalist and soviet modernist architecture from across eastern europe, mainly ex-yugoslavia and ex-soviet countries. shooting at night using light painting techniques, xiao transforms the real edifices into eerie and otherworldly images that look straight out of a dystopian movie.

yang xiao turns real brutalist monuments into surreal images designboom

the battle of sutjeska memorial monument complex, tjentište, bosnia & herzegovina

all images by yang xiao

the project started nine years ago, and since then xiao has traveled to over 40 countries to document a range of old buildings: from an abandoned iron fountain in armenia to a war memorial in bosnia & herzegovina. ‘in the last 9 years, I have been traveling around the world to capture monuments at night. mainly in ex-yugoslavia, ex-soviet, and east european countries. many of them nowadays have been abandoned and neglected,’ explains the photographer.

yang xiao turns real brutalist monuments into surreal images designboom

monument to the victims of fascism (9th fort and monument), kaunas, lithuania

xiao continues, ‘my journey started in 2012 visiting the communist monument buzludzha in bulgaria. since then I have explored over 40 countries in the world, focusing on photographing abandoned places, monuments, brutalist and soviet modernist architecture. many of them are shot at night by light painting photography. I want to capture and re-create their eternal beauty. creating surreality from reality is a fascinating game to play, and it always motivates me to keep going on the exploration.’

yang xiao turns real brutalist monuments into surreal images designboom

heart of jesus, transylvania, romania

yang xiao turns real brutalist monuments into surreal images designboom

ilinden memorial, macedonia

yang xiao turns real brutalist monuments into surreal images designboom

abandoned iron fountain, gyumri, armenia

yang xiao turns real brutalist monuments into surreal images designboom

monument to the fallen soldiers of the kosmaj detachment, serbia

yang xiao turns real brutalist monuments into surreal images designboom

ilinden memorial, macedonia

yang xiao turns real brutalist monuments into surreal images designboom

monument to the battle of bash-aparan, aparan, armenia

eternal-monuments-in-the-dark-designboom-02X — monument to the revolution of the people of moslavina, podgarić, croatia

yang xiao turns real brutalist monuments into surreal images designboom

monument to the battle of the wounded, bosnia & herzegovina

eternal-monuments-in-the-dark-designboom-01X — monument to the revolution, kozara, bosnia & herzegovina

yang xiao turns real brutalist monuments into surreal images designboom

kyiv crematorium, kyiv, ukraine

project info:

name: ETERNAL MONUMENTS IN THE DARK
photography: yang xiao | @inhiu

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.