The photo project “Opium” explores the manipulative role of propaganda and the imposition of Soviet culture through Russian literature, in particular filmstrips dedicated to the work of Sholokhov. The basis of the project were filmstrips found in the Chernihiv school after a missile strike by a Russian missile. This context gives the project a special meaning, emphasizing how the legacy of Soviet propaganda resonates with modern tragedies associated with Russian aggression. The name of the project symbolizes the idea of cultural dependence, when art and ideology become “opium for the people”, muffling critical thinking and strengthening the mythology of “great Russia”.
Black and white filmstrip slides depicting scenes from Soviet classics and figures of the time are combined with rich red colors, creating a powerful visual contrast. The characters on the slides have glowing eyes, which enhances the feeling of their ghostliness, zombie-likeness, and loss of critical thinking under the influence of imposed ideology.
Red poppies superimposed on black-and-white slides represent, for us, Ukrainians, beauty and love, struggle, and memory of those who died in wars. In turn, for Russians, these poppies turn into a drug - opium, which they have been fed for decades to make them obedient, deprived of their own will and critical thinking. In this context, red flowers become a symbol of independence for us and addiction for them, which paralyzes, causes blind obedience, and a willingness to do anything for the sake of another dose of ideological "opium".
The project uses the technique of double exposure and collage. Film defects, cracks, and scratches on the slides emphasize the destruction of the old system, through which symbols of new life break through. In the final processing, all images were displayed on a kinescope television to emphasize the metaphor of the "zombie box", and later rephotographed on 35 mm film.