Libido & Mortido is a journey through the mirrored labyrinth of the human psyche — a descent into the hidden architecture of being, where light and shadow reveal the secret rhythm of life and death within us.
Two primal forces guide this passage. Libido — the breath of creation, the pulse that gives birth to desire, beauty, and art. Mortido — the quiet undertow of dissolution, drawing the soul toward silence and infinity. They are not enemies but intertwined reflections of one essence — the impulse to live and the longing to disappear.
As the traveler moves deeper into the labyrinth, mirrors multiply. Each reflection is a fragment of the self — familiar yet distorted, tender yet dangerous. The body, illuminated by shifting light, becomes the language of the unconscious: an echo of creation, destruction, and rebirth.
The female form — the Anima of Jungian thought — stands as a vessel of emotion and intuition, embodying the fragile equilibrium between chaos and clarity. Through light alone, without digital intervention, each portrait becomes an act of revelation — a moment when the hidden soul meets its reflection.
Libido & Mortido is not merely about opposites. It is about the eternal search for unity within division — the moment when darkness gives way to light, and the labyrinth itself becomes a mirror of awakening.
«VS Unio Gallery». Moscow, Russia
«Somerset House». London, UK
"Chicago Central House", Kiev, Ukraine
"Galerie Joseph Turenne",
Paris, France
FOTOCULT is the most famous photography magazine in Italian language.
In 2017, the series Libido & Mortido became the first photo project to receive a grant from Sony and the World Photography Organization. The project premiered at Somerset House, London, in April 2018, where it gained wide critical acclaim.
The series was later exhibited in Paris (Paris Photo OFF 2018) and Arles (Voies Off Festival 2018), followed by solo shows in Kyiv and Moscow. Among the visitors of the Moscow opening were renowned cultural figures, and several works entered private collections of leading media and art professionals.
Photographs from the project have been featured in European photography magazines and received awards at international competitions, including the International Photography Awards held at Carnegie Hall, New York.
All lighting effects were created directly in the studio without digital post-processing. The unique visual language was achieved through custom-made Gobo masks and optical devices. Critics have noted echoes of Man Ray, Erwin Blumenfeld, and František Drtikol, while emphasizing the project’s distinctive and innovative aesthetic.
Each portrait is printed in an edition of six, accompanied by a signed Certificate of Authenticity. The series includes 68 works, with all prints produced under the artist’s supervision in a professional lab.
PART I
The Awakening of the Shadow
The journey begins at the border of light and darkness. The self first senses the pulse of the unconscious — a silent presence shaping thought and desire. The frame divides into black and white, like a breath between reason and instinct. Here, the human being becomes aware that the shadow is not the enemy but the hidden root of life itself.
“Libido and Mortido”
Portrait # 3
2017
Edition of 6 — 60 × 80 cm (≈ 24 × 32 in) $4000 USD
Archival pigment print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag 308 gsm
Certificate of Authenticity: signed & stamped; matching edition label affixed to verso.
Deeper within, the silence thickens. The traveler meets the cold reflection of Mortido — the destructive longing that dwells in every soul. Awareness brings both pain and clarity: to see the darkness within is to touch the fragile essence of existence. The mirror no longer flatters; it speaks.
“Libido and Mortido”
Portrait # 23
2017
Edition of 6 — 60 × 80 cm (≈ 24 × 32 in) $4000 USD
Archival pigment print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag 308 gsm
Certificate of Authenticity: signed & stamped; matching edition label affixed to verso.
The descent transforms into wandering.
Mirrors open endlessly, reflecting faces, gestures, and fragments of memory.
The space is filled with pale radiance — the light of discovery.
Here, the traveler begins to recognize the multitude within: countless echoes of the self shimmer like water, each one whispering a different truth.
“Libido and Mortido”
Portrait # 35
2017
Edition of 6 — 60 × 90 cm (≈ 24 × 36 in) $4000 USD
Archival pigment print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag 308 gsm
Certificate of Authenticity: signed & stamped; matching edition label affixed to verso.
Light trembles and breaks apart.
The reflections distort, merging and dissolving into shadow.
The traveler loses orientation — faces melt, meaning slips away, and the labyrinth folds in upon itself.
This is the test of instability: a return into darkness, where only uncertainty and vulnerability remain.
“Libido and Mortido”
Portrait # 51
2018
Edition of 6 — 60 × 90 cm (≈ 24 × 36 in) $4000 USD
Archival pigment print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag 308 gsm
Certificate of Authenticity: signed & stamped; matching edition label affixed to verso.
From the silence, a single ray emerges.
The labyrinth no longer confines — it becomes transparent, a mirror turned to air.
The figure gathers itself into wholeness, reborn through understanding.
Libido rises — calm, luminous, victorious — transforming the ruin of reflections into the light of being.
“Libido and Mortido”
Portrait # 63
2017
Edition of 6 — 60 × 90 cm (≈ 24 × 36 in) $4000 USD
Archival pigment print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag 308 gsm
Certificate of Authenticity: signed & stamped; matching edition label affixed to verso.
