Store. 2021 This photographic series captures post-apocalyptic architectural landscapes and small village shops — most of which are permanently closed. Those that remain open act as time capsules, offering both a glimpse into the past and a vital social hub for the locals. For several years, the artist has documented shops in villages and small towns, creating a visual chronicle of one civilization fading into another — a new era slowly emerging from the remnants of Soviet relics. These stone structures are more than buildings; they are socially significant landmarks, especially in areas far removed from large cities, where architecture takes on raw, utilitarian forms.The village shop is not just a point of sale — it is a communal space for conversation, news, leisure, and the subtle display of social and economic status. The crumbling facades of these provincial Soviet shops echo the collapse of a system that once promised salvation through collectivization, reducing individuals to mere consumers of state-approved necessities.The province is the last frontier untouched by the tide of mindless consumption — and when that wave finally reaches it, it signals the province’s disappearance.

The English title Store is deliberately multi-layered — referring both to a place of commerce and the act of collecting, archiving memory and meaning.