Kukerland

For the past 6 winters I have been traveling trough the countryside of Bulgaria. From fields to woods, from the coast to the summit, from vibrant cities to empty villages. Reconnecting with own roots, my goal is to create a rich visual archive of the incredibly rich heritage of masks and costume,s part of the local tradition known as Kukeri. By tradition the masks are used to hide the identity and transform the human into a supernatural being, allowing him or her to enter the spirit world, chase away the evil and bring blessings to the people, livestock and crops. In my project called Kukerland I take portraits of the Kukeri at specific locations creating a visual narrative related to their home place, lifestyle or history. In the same time I allow my fantasy to play around and set up compositions which feel like a fiction in which they live their own stories.