"In 1944 a Cold War began, a war that was brutal, inhumane. A war that has now been almost forgotten. The Western powers continued to consider the occupation of the Baltic and Eastern Countries by the Stalinist powers to be illegal despite the post war conferences that had recognized the borders of the USSR. Hidden behind the Iron Curtain, the occupation of the Soviet block continued for 50 years and destroyed the lives of millions.

"It is estimated that there were at least 20 million deaths. Many believe that the real figure is closer to 60 million.

"Despite not receiving any backing from the West, the partisans’ resistance fought against the Soviet regime. These partisans had to abandon both their families and homes and seek sanctuary in the forests. In numerous villages and towns, domestic dwellings were attained by KGB officers for use as control centres, interrogation, imprisonment and torture. These homely spaces were converted into places of terror. As a result the forest not only became the place of refuge but also the place of mass graves.

"The most active and forceful resistance came from the Lithuanian ‘forest brothers’, which lasted for 10 years."

Statement for Indre Serpytyte's series 1944-1991.

"Pedro Vicente: The first thing I thought when I saw your images was that they were very aesthetic and visually pleasing. I would say, even, that they seemed to me, to some extent, peaceful, especially the paper or the typewriter ones. But when I faced the explanatory text accompanying your photographs it was like my perception was slapping my vision. I didn't see what I looked at. What role does text play in your photographs? Do you feel the text is part of your work?

"Indre Serpytyte: At the time the text was very necessary to me, it just seemed right to have it. Seeing the events written in black and white helped me to come to terms with what had happened. In some ways it was like a full stop at the end of the sentence. At the start of the project, the text intended just for me, but through time, I found it hard to separate the two and now I think that the text has definitely become an inseparable part of this work. I understand that the juxtaposition of these two factors, the very visually pleasing images with such a personal and straight to the point piece of text causes friction, but it is this friction that I find fascinating. I think this friction portrays the exact emotional state I was in when these events occurred. The images portray the emotional coldness and distance towards the situation as they are very calculated and constructed therefore the text confronts the situation and the viewer head on. I hope this is how the work touches the viewers too."

Interview about the series A State of Silence, about her father's death, in 1000 Words Photography via this blog.