An expedition through the grotesque realm of must-haves and mega-trends

It seems as if there is a constant factor amidst the diversity of our dreams: The longing for a heavenly life, the hope for permanent feeling of happiness. Since time immemorial, this long awaited, beautiful earthly paradise has been distant. But, in reality, are all the places equally distant from paradise? Are some places not closer? Maybe even enticingly close?

To explore these questions, the photographer Robert Rutöd went into the burlesque realm of trade fairs and exhibition areas. An almost ten-year expedition through materialized world of dreams is now visually retold in Fair(y) Tales.

There is a lot to marvel at, in the grotesque realm of must-haves and mega-trends: bursting beautiful Botox-lips (Beauty Fair), captivating Sado-Maso outfits (Erotic Fair), brightly painted, egg-shaped children's coffins (Funeral Fair), sunny palm-lined beaches with fan heaters (Holiday Fair) or breeding bulls, coiffed and refurbished with hair spray (Agricultural Fair).

A preview on Fair(y) Tales at the art fair Parallel Vienna 2016, Austria

Undertakers On The Catwalk, a chapter of Fair(y) Tales,
at Kolga Tbilisi Photo Festival 2012 in Georgia (Photo © Sandro Asatiani)

"Fair(y) Tales is the sum of impressions of a world that has fascinated me since my childhood. Earlier, there used to be only two all-purpose fairs per year, but now there is probably no area of life about which a fair cannot be organized. Nowadays, as before, I gladly let myself be enchanted and accept the invitation as often as possible, to dive into this world of attractions and superlatives. I feel just like Alice in Wonderland as I walk from the taster massage to a certified sleep consultant, from the undertakers' fashion show to the wine tasting, from the Garden of Earthly Delights to the Jacob's Ladders in the garden festival. In the turmoil between the horns of award-winning cattle champions, waiting their turn for the photo shoot of the breeding catalog, it can sometimes get a little queasy. But as the saying goes: They all lived happily until their deaths.”

Fair(y) Tales at Kaliningrad Art Gallery, Russia – an exhibition on the occasion of the
Baltic Biennale of Photography 2017 (Photo: tvoybro.com)

Fotonoviembre, XIV Bienal Internacional de Fotografía de Tenerife – Exhibition catalogue 2017

Fair(y) Tales at Malmö Fotobiennal 2017, Sweden (Photo © Per-Olof Stoltz)

Fair(y) Tales on display at PHOTO IS:RAEL International Photography Festival 2019, Tel Aviv