Launch Recite Me assistive technology
A collage featuring figures from a classical painting placed within a dark, tiled underpass. The figures are posed in a dynamic group, with one child held aloft in the centre.

Alexey Kondakov Photoshops classic art heroes into modern day situations

—
Date
20 May 2015

Imagine if sweet little cherubs had to travel on the bus, rather than by their wings or by magic and faith and all those other more abstract things. Ukrainian art director Alexey Kondakov not only imagined what these celestial figures would look like on the bus, but realised his imaginings through Photoshop to share with all of us. For his series The Daily Life Of Gods, he’s taken figures from classical art and popped them in car parks, on public transport, and in decrepit back yards. They somehow look like they belong there, their forlorn expressions and sad demeanours matching the tatty seats of the bus or the pissy stone floors of the subway. It’s very silly, but very fun, even if Alexey would have us believe it’s got a more serious undertone. “I thought, ‘What if I invite these [gods] into our reality and imagine they are on streets of modern Kiev?’", he says. "… My project is about life.”

A person in a classical painting leans their head on their hand, looking pensive at a table. They are positioned behind a window with a sign that reads “PATSO + ЛИМОНАД 15 грн.” and a “Halal” logo.
Above

Alexey Kondakov: The Daily Life Of Gods

A digital collage shows a classical painting of a figure playing a lyre, placed in the centre of a subway station. In the background, a person walks towards a pair of escalators.
Above

Alexey Kondakov: The Daily Life Of Gods

A digital collage places two figures from Renaissance portraits inside a brightly lit, modern convenience store. The figures wear period dress and hats, contrasting with the glowing shelves of snacks and drinks behind them.
Above

Alexey Kondakov: The Daily Life Of Gods

A digital collage shows several nude figures from a classical painting placed inside a vintage bus. The figures are entwined in a dramatic pose, contrasting with the sterile, fluorescent lighting and red plastic seats of the vehicle.
Above

Alexey Kondakov: The Daily Life Of Gods

A collage shows a classical painting of a person in a purple robe and two cherubs placed against a gritty urban wall. They sit beside a weathered concrete ledge and a metal door under a sloping awning.
Above

Alexey Kondakov: The Daily Life Of Gods

A nude person with white wings sits on a black seat inside a yellow bus. They lean back against a pole, looking off to the side.
Above

Alexey Kondakov: The Daily Life Of Gods

A classical sculpture of four figures is placed on a gritty city street at night. The figures, draped in flowing robes, are positioned against a concrete pillar near a parked bus and streetlights.
Above

Alexey Kondakov: The Daily Life Of Gods

A person in light-coloured clothing leans over another figure lying on the ground. They are positioned against a corrugated metal shutter next to a wooden frame and two stacked banana boxes.
Above

Alexey Kondakov: The Daily Life Of Gods

Share Article

About the Author

Emily Gosling

—

Emily joined It’s Nice That as Online Editor in the summer of 2014 after four years at Design Week. She is particularly interested in graphic design, branding and music. After working It's Nice That as both Online Editor and Deputy Editor, Emily left the company in 2016.

It's Nice That Newsletters

Fancy a bit of It's Nice That in your inbox? Sign up to our newsletters and we'll keep you in the loop with everything good going on in the creative world.