The Lost Monuments of Ex-Yu
My cousin sent me a link via coolhunter to this incredible photo series. It stopped me in my tracks. Concrete spaceships? Nope. These are abandoned Communist monuments scattered all over the territory of former Yugoslavia, photographed by Dutch artist Jan Kempenaers for his series "Spomenik" (monument).
The hidden treasures of the Balkans are often overshadowed by the turmoil of the region, so it is great to see a positive spotlight. I find the photographs of the monuments particularly symbolic because they allow us to remember, but also transcend. I have a foggy memory of visiting some of them as a child, but next time I'm back home, I'll have to follow in his tracks.
"Looking at the photographs one must admit to a certain embarrassment. We see the powerful beauty of the monumental sculptures and we catch ourselves forgetting the victims in whose name they were built. This is in no way a reproach to the photographer, but rather attests to the strength of the images." —Willem Jan Neutelings, quoted from Jan's book.
Kolasin, Montenegro
