“In the last nine years I have traveled the world to capture monuments at night. Mainly in countries of the former Yugoslavia, the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Many of them today have been abandoned and neglected“. So it begins Xiao Yang your description about ‘Eternal Monuments In The Dark‘, a curious project that shows abandoned places that take on a new look in your photos thanks, above all, to light painting.
“My journey started in 2012 when I visited the Buzludzha communist monument in Bulgaria. Since then I have explored more than 40 countries around the world, focusing on photographing abandoned places, monuments, brutalist and modernist Soviet architecture. […] I want to capture and recreate its eternal beauty. Creating surrealism from reality is a fascinating game that always motivates me to keep exploring“.
Čačak (Чачак) Name: Mausoleum of struggle and victory Location: Čačak, Serbia Year of completion: 1980 Designer: Bogdan Bogdanović
The monument that Xiao mentions is the one you have seen in the cover photo, and it looks like a reinforced concrete flying saucer that has landed on top of a mountain. A clear example of Soviet architecture that is now abandoned to its fate, like many other places that appear in the photos, and that were captured in Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Romania, Armenia, Latvia, Lithuania, Albania, Ukraine and Germany.
Kruševo (Крушево) Name: Ilinden Memorial (Споменик „Илинден“) or ‘Makedonium’ (Македониум) Location: Gumenja Hill in Kruševo, Macedonia Completion year: 1974 Designer s: Jordan Grabul, Iskra Grabul
“I am fascinated by the man-made environment Xiao continues. There are some subjects that particularly interest me, such as abandoned places, brutalist architecture, massive concrete monuments, towers, bunkers, underground tunnels and those kinds of urban structures. They are places that are empty and mysteriously silent at night and in the dark. […] Although they actually speak for themselves, waiting for us to discover and hear their stories.“.
Tjentište (Тјентиште) Name: Sutjeska Battle Memorial Complex in the Valley of Heroes Location: Tjentište, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina Year of construction: 1971 Designers: Miodrag Živković, Ranko Radović
The photographer, who describes herself as a urban explorer, traveler, designer and photographer of architecture and light paintingHe confesses that he never knew those places when they were inhabited, nor does he know what their future will be, “so all I can do is cherish the moment when I visit you and witness the current state of your life circle. Documenting those places without further ado is not my claim. Controlling light and time through light painting photography, I want to recreate them and build a connection between us. In my photos they transform and generate unique scenes that belong only to me“.
Buzludzha (Бузлуджа) Name: Buzludzha Location: Stara Zagora Province, Bulgaria Year of construction: 1971-1981 Designer: Georgi Vladimirov Stoilov
The project, as you can see, is a mixture of photography of abandoned places (known as Urbex) with the technique of light painting. Y the result some striking images achieved by painting with light in these normally lonely places, especially since they are mostly night scenes.
Oteševo (Отешево) Name: Monument to the Prespa Party Conference (Споменик за Преспанското советување) Location: Oteševo, Macedonia Year of completion: 1973 Designers: Jordan Grabul, Boro Josifovski
Depending on the shot, the artist mixes little lights with which he creates stelae of different types, with more general lighting that affects larger areas that stains color. In many cases, it is also added a spectacular sky, with striking colored lights or star trails, including some sky with circumpolar trails.
Tjentište (Тјентиште) Name: Sutjeska Battle Memorial Complex in the Valley of Heroes Location: Tjentište, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina Year of construction: 1971 Designers: Miodrag Živković, Ranko Radović
In addition, that human figure that appears in almost all the photos suggests that connection between the abandoned building and the man that Xiao intends to create in some way in his images.
Podgarić Name: Monument to the Revolution of the Moslavina People (Spomenik Revolucije Naroda Moslavine) Location: Podgarić, Croatia Year of completion: 1967 Designers: Dušan Džamonja, Vladimir Veličković
Curiously, you will be interested to know that Xiao She is originally from China but lives in Spain (specifically in Granollers) since 2018. We can only be happy about it, congratulate you on your photographs and thank you for letting us share them with all of you.
Name: Monument to the Victims of Fascism (‘Ninth Fort and Monument’) Location: Kaunas, Lithuania Year of completion: 1984 Designer: Alfonsas Vincentas Ambraziūna s
Popina (Попина) Name: Popina Monument Park (‘Mausoleum of the Fallen Insurgents’; ‘The Sniper’) Location: Štulac, Serbia Year of completion: 1981 Designer: Bogdan Bogdanović
Kosmaj (Космај) Name: Monument to the fallen soldiers of the Kosmaj detachment (Споменик борцима Космајског одреда) Location: Kosmaj Mountain Park, Serbia Completion year: 1971 Designers: Vojin Stojić, Gradimir Medaković
Gyumri Name: Gyumri Iron Fountain Location: Gyumri, Armenia Completion Year: 1982 Designer: Artur Tarkhanyan
Landmarke Lausitzer Seenland Name: Landmarke Lausitzer Seenland Location: Senftenberg, Germany Year Built: 2008 Designer: Architektur & Landschaft Stefan Giers
Petrova Gora Name: Monument to the uprising of the people of Kordun and Banija Location: Petrova Gora National Park, Vojnić, Croatia Year of completion: 1981 Designer: Vojin Bakić
Barutana (Барутана) Name: Monument to the fallen of the Lješanska Nahija region Location: Barutana, Montenegro Completion year: 1980 Designer: Svetlana Kana Radević
Sisak Name: Monument to the Detachment in the Brezovica Forest Location: Novo Selo Palanječko, Croatia Year of completion: 1981 Designer: Želimir Janeš
Heart of Jesus Name: Heart of Jesus Location: Gordon Hill in Harghita County, Transylvania, Romania Year of completion: 2011 Designer: Walter Zawaczky
Gevgelija (Гевгелија) Name: Freedom Monument or ‘The Flower of Freedom’ (Цветот на слободата) Location: Mrzenski Hill in Gevgelija, Macedonia Year of completion: 1969 Designers: Jordan Grabul, Blagoj Kolev
Kiev Crematorium Name: Kiev Crematorium Location: Kyiv, Ukraine Completion Year: 1982 Designer: A. Miletski
Treptower Park Name: Soviet War Memorial (Treptower Park) Location: Berlin, Germany Year of completion: 1949 Designer: Yakov Belopolsky
Star Monument Name: Qukës-Pishkash Star Monument Location: Librazhd – Përrenjas, Albania Completion Year: 1978 Designer: Perikli Çuli
Aparan Name: Monument to the Battle of Bash-Aparan Location: Aparan, Armenia Year of completion: 1979 Designer: Rafael Israelyan
Kruševo (Крушево) Name: Ilinden Memorial (Споменик „Илинден“) or ‘Makedonium’ (Македониум) Location: Gumenja Hill in Kruševo, Macedonia Completion year: 1974 Designer s: Jordan Grabul, Iskra Grabul
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Cover photo | Buzludzha (Бузлуджа) Name: Buzludzha; Location: Stara Zagora Province, Bulgaria; Year of construction: 1971-1981; Designer: Georgi Vladimirov Stoilov.
All photographs by Xiao Yang reproduced with permission of the author for this article
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