The word spomenici means monuments. In this book I am referring to spomenici as state built socialist monuments. While spomenici are the backbone of this book, the book contains also a section on brutalist architecture and an appendix on related urbex images. I started photographing spomenici around 2011. At the time, I had already been living in the Balkans for several years. When the post-war tensions started settled down a little bit, I started looking at spomenici with a different eye. This book is not a documentary exercise and is not an exhaustive list of monuments. I approached spomenici from a fine-art point of view and took them to the next level. Spomenici are an incredible basis of departure for abstractions and artistic interpretations, which contribute to the revival of these mostly forgotten structures. While some don't exist anymore, as they were destroyed during the latest Balkan wars as symbols of previous regimes, others are falling apart, taken over by nature, because of governments in denial of their past. My images are in no way a political statement.

Podgaric, HRMemorial to uprising of Moslavina, by Dušan Džamonja

Popina, SRPopina, SR

Tjentiste, BiH (awarded)Monument to the battle of Sutjeska

Makedonium, MKDMonument to the 1903 Ilinden uprising and 1941-1944 national liberation struggle

The book is in English language and you can order worldwide in both digital and printed versions here:

 https://camerapixo.com/publications/book-spomenici-and-brutalism