Paper Kingdom

For centuries, Shih Tzus were beloved companions at the Chinese Imperial court. Known as “lion dogs”, they were bred not to hunt, herd or guard, but simply to accompany royalty: small dogs carrying the symbolism of the lion, a figure of power, protection and good fortune.
I had known this history for a long time, and it became the starting point for this shoot - I decided to build a small imperial palace around the dog for the photograph.
Two wonderful artists, Natalia Pavlova and Ulyana Makhtyuk, helped me bring the idea to life, crafting the unique set design. I photographed the dog in the finished set, but the image stayed in my archive for a long time. I loved what we had created, yet somehow I never felt the story was quite complete. Coming back to the photograph years later, I realised that generative tools could give me a way to finish the world we had started building not by replacing the original set, but by extending it beyond its physical boundaries. I used generative models to create the surrounding landscape, keeping the same handcrafted cardboard aesthetic: mountains, clouds, blossoms and architectural elements growing naturally outwards from the original palace. The physical and generated elements became parts of the same imaginary world and suddenly, the pieces clicked into place.
What began as a handmade set, photographed years ago, has become a collaboration across different moments and different ways of making images -real set design, photography and generative technology. The little lion finally got his kingdom.