Brutal 20th Century Architecture in Modern Belgrade

 

 

In Minimal Belgrade, Mirko Nahmijas shares his pictures of Brutalist architecture in the Serbian capital. The grey shaped concrete was popular between the wars. Builders, architects and urban planners from London to Paris and throughout eastern Europe appear to have seen those German pillboxes on the Atlantic Wall and viewed them as ideal starter homes for young families.

But a lot of sprawling, imaginative and forboding 20th-century Brutalist architecture has aged rather well. This as concrete sculpted with a social purpose to house the masses and conquer nature on a huge scale. And how you see it might depend on how you approach it. Nahmijas has been exploring angles.

“Being a good photographer, in my opinion, is not just about creating the perfect setting, he says,”although it is unquestionably important to find the perfect cadre, skilfully set up the camera, adjust the lights and so on – but finding the perfect angle.

“It’s about producing such photographs that show people there are infinite ways of looking at the same thing – over and over again until you realise it is a tad bit different every time you look at it.”

 

The series is available as a collection of prints here.