Are you familiar with Krampus, the chain whipping, cloven hoofed companion of Saint Nicholas? If you’ve ever been on the naughty side of Santa’s list, be warned: you’ve got a lot more than coal to worry about in your stocking (like being carried off in a basket to the depths of hell). Read more about this demonic Christmas cryptid on the Etsy Blog.
Everything about Eastern Europe, Russia and Eurasia fascinates me — Rasputin, our mutual Levis obsession, religious icons, Communist propaganda, The Master and Margarita, a dim worldview, Futurism, vodka…lots to love, no? However, all of these interests are trumped by the primitive vibrancy of extremely rural Russia (seriously, look at those colors — reminds me of Latin America). Photographer Olya Ivanova ventures to villages across Eastern Europe to photograph dwindling societies that may soon die out in the face of a homogenized, Western world. I’m held by their potent gaze, the painted-over decay and random ephemera taped to the walls, as well as the towering stand of trees — the trees! Argh, to be there now…
The old lady is definitely my favorite, because she reminds me of my grandmother. I’m also fond of the man with the crooked nose and the cat on his shoulders. Adorable.
[Thanks to Dream Cats for turning me on to Olya's work! Check out her Flickr.]
