Nostalgic Moments of the Soviet Times

Ностальгічні нотки радянських часів

Every year after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the memory of those times becomes more and more mythologized. My childhood passed in the Soviet Union. It was happy, and I have the best and warmest memories of my childhood. And those who are now under thirty mostly shape their opinions based on the stories told by their parents, own naive memories, books and movies.

One of my first memories of those years is connected with the street we lived in. Every time I drive along this street, the memories of those years flash back. I remember us as children running and playing hide-and-seek, hurting our knees while cycling. My family often welcomed friends and relatives, we would get together at a big table, discuss something positive and sing heartfelt songs.

One other Soviet Union-related memory of mine is soda, soda machines. I also remember a couple of sorts of ice-cream, especially coffee ice-cream with chocolate glaze. It was the greatest delight. It was wrapped in a brown paper and cost 28 copecks. You could spend two hours in a line for this ice-cream. I also remember subbotniks – I myself joined my granddad for subbontiks, it was a lot of fun!

I believe in those years, everything was more nature, honest and alive. 

It is related both to human emotions, and to things that were of higher quality and looked interesting. 70-80s were outstanding, and many people recall them with smiles on their faces. We all enjoy old movies. I really like this time, and this epoch is most frequently reflected in my works. It's good we're in Ukraine. I live in Dnepr, and a lot of old buildings and accessories have been preserved here from those years.

One of the vivid examples is the “Sweet watermelons” photo series, the idea of which struck me absolutely spontaneously. Once I was driving from Zaporozhye to Dnepr and saw a very old Soviet car with a trunk full of watermelons. The watermelons were lying in a line, and an old men was trampling beside them. I couldn't believe my eyes. I stopped by, we met each other, had a conversation, and two hours later I had a model, clothes and a ready-made image. As a result, it was a great photo shoot in the style of those years. I suggest that you view these photos once again and experience the entire atmosphere of the Soviet times.