These buildings aren't from a distant galaxy far, far away. They're here on Planet Earth, specifically in Belgrade, Serbia. Locally based photographer Mirko Nahmijas wanted to give a new perspective to some of his hometown's historically-loaded Brutalist structures in his photo series titled “Minimal Belgrade” — which Nahmijas has also nicknamed “Star Wars City”.

The series depicts the structures as concrete giants, showing off their depth and sharp geometric forms that pop against a stark sky-blue background. Encountering the buildings on a regular basis, Nahmijas wanted to discover a newfound appreciation for his hometown. 

Although he carefully staged the photos, there were the inevitable perfect moments of spontaneity that made the process all the more enjoyable. “I most enjoyed taking photos of the VMA Military hospital [the Military Medical Academy] because of its bold lines, and the Western City Gate — especially in the picture I like to call The Pigeon Gate, because the pigeons just flew in!” he wrote in an email.

Although the buildings would be as pristine in real life as they digitally appear in the photo series, but people have distastefully “interacted” with the structures over time, Nahmijas described. “The most challenging buildings [to photograph] were the ones that people have ruined with ugly commercial billboards, so I had to remove them with Photoshop,” he said. 

Nahmijas, who is an experienced commercial and portrait photographer, says he already has his eye on the former Yugoslavian territories to expand on his architecture portfolio.

You can see the full photo series or purchase individual photos here.

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