AllTop Viral!

When one first sees this portrait collection of solitary forest dwellers by Danila Tkachenko, it’s hard not to call Thoreau to mind:

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.

He found his subjects in the forests of Russia and Ukraine, and they create quite a contrast to the usual scenes we see of the hustle and bustle of city or suburban life.

The main characters of my project violate social standards for different reasons. By a complete withdrawal from society they go live alone in the wild nature, gradually dissolving in it and losing their social identity. While exploring their experience, it is important for me to understand if one is able to break free from social dependence and get away from the public to the subjective – and thus, to make a step towards oneself.

Full story at Danila Tkachenko via My Modern Met.

Portraits of solitude.

Graphics credit: Canva