Russian Images

Free of the Darkness Intro

Because of its size and unpredictable volatility, Russia constitutes a problem in the minds of those who want their Weltanschauung neat and tidy. In great Mother Russia, the pendulum of reactivity swings faster (and more violently) than anywhere else. It is an uncanny ghost of an oppressive feudal/totalitarian past that has tried to break free over and over again but instead just created more of the same... However, can we really “accuse” anyone – ghost or human – for at least trying?

In the European mind, Russia is a spectre; a constant outsider. Touching Asia as much as Europe, the vast geographical sphere becomes an existential mystery. The draconian Soviet regime still haunts the Russian psyche, despite the fact that the original spirit of revolution was immediately co-opted, corrupted and corroded by neo-tsarist cynics. (And so it continues to this day...) When memories are fabricated under any political banner, you have to really count the bodies and “follow the money” to understand what’s going on.