Under Stalin’s Soviet Union many Russians were taken from their families, never to be seen again. With many unanswered questions, families to this day wonder what became of their loved ones. Did they die after a day, a year or twenty? Did they live to an old age?
The database “Immortal Barracks” is a service for Russian families trying to unearth the truth. It has records of thousands of Soviet internments and executions; if there was a killing, a relocation or torture, there is a chance it is documented here. Victims have profiles with information like date of birth and burial, occupation and, where available, short life stories. All profiles have portraits.
Artist Hassan Bakhaev was inspired by these photos of “boys and girls mercilessly destroyed by the system.” He wanted to somehow bring them closer to the present. With his photo project “Victims of Repression”, their faces tell another story.
