light painting photography turns brutalist monuments into surreal images

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.

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. 

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.’

heart of jesus, transylvania, romania

ilinden memorial, macedonia

abandoned iron fountain, gyumri, armenia

monument to the fallen soldiers of the kosmaj detachment, serbia

ilinden memorial, macedonia

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

monument to the battle of the wounded, bosnia & herzegovina

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.

edited by: lynne myers | designboom