The tale of Tsar Saltan, the Snow Maiden, the Golden Cockerel - stories familiar from childhood to all Russian children. The characters of these fairy tales especially acquire flesh and blood thanks to the book illustrations that accompany us while reading. Almost all the most recognizable pictures for such tales are the work of Ivan Bilibin, a Russian artist, book illustrator, theater designer, graphic designer, ethnographer and traveler.
As inspiration, we chose three of his most controversial characters: the most charismatic antagonist of the matchmaker Babu Babarikh, the Snow Maiden with her tenderness and metamorphoses, and the Golden Cockerel (we also left the world of fictional creatures). We tried all of them on a completely modern fictional character - Russian actress Alena Mikhailova. As a result, we received a soup from popular prints ethnography, Slavic cult and a palette of northern feminine beauty in its various manifestations.
Photography is usually considered as a way to convey reality but staged photography tells us a different truth. It is the courage to find your point of view on familiar things and to create worlds that momentarily flash with inner magic and tell us their stories.
