Collective Amnesia: A Latvian Photographer Staging the Soviet Past (14 photos)

Arnis Balcus is a photographer, teacher, and editor-in-chief of the Latvian online publication FK Magazine. He studied communications at the University of Latvia and photography at the University of Westminster, London. His work has been exhibited at numerous international photography exhibitions and published in renowned European publications such as Achtung Mode, Dazed & Confused, and Foto & Video. Most of his photographs explore Latvian identity, historical taboos, and socio-political themes.





In his series "Collective Amnesia," Arnis Balcus re-enacts scenes of everyday life that disappeared after the collapse of the USSR due to the changing socio-political environment. The photographs capture a bygone way of life for Latvians and residents of other former Soviet republics. Collective amnesia—the forced or voluntary suppression of memories—helped to forget these daily "rituals" due to the widespread denial of Latvia's Soviet identity and the desire to overcome recurring political and economic hardships.