One of the recurrent themes in my work is ‘keeping joy alive in bleak times.’ Ruins of modern cities frequently serve as background for folkloric characters — witches, fauns, goblins — who seem to have returned to the world after some calamity. The images are sometimes macabre, but the characters usually appear to be having a good time.

My submitted images portray the moonlit dance of a witch, a faun, and goblins; a witch picking the fruit from a goblin tree in a sunny orchard; and a young woman sharing a quiet moment with a faun. They are otherworldly yet peaceful, perhaps haunting but not frightening.

This is my vision of the future. For me, these images serve to affirm something that we’ve all had to learn these past few years: the end of the world can, to a certain extent, be lived with.