Russia is a strange land, and a very big land. Keen Heick-Abildhauge lived there for some time and wanted to show its people to the world. Thus One Hundred Years “The Russian Portrait” project was born. A hundred pictures of Russians aged 1 to 100 tells a shifting story of dreams and images.
As the author wrote on Bored Panda: “I wanted to share the diversity and beauty I am experiencing and I wanted to share the wonderful stories that Russian people think and dream about. I wanted to tell the stories that are not told when you are just passing by people on the street or sitting next to them at a cafe.” In the course of the project, he met 230 people and shot their portraits while they shared their dreams. It is an interesting tapestry of faces and feelings, showing not how the Russian people live, but what dreams they have, and how those change with age.
Well, one of Russians was a little too young to share, but I think Keen still managed to get a decent impression.

1 Year – Alexander


Place of birth: Pushkin
Passion or Dream: Cars are our passion (mother’s words)

2 Years – Arseniy


Place of birth: St. Petersburg
Profession: Goes to kindergarten
Passion or Dream: Cars

3 Years – Anna


Place of birth: St. Petersburg
Profession: Goes to kindergarten
Passion or Dream: I like walking, dancing, drawing, studying the alphabet and playing with balls

4 Years – Daniel


Place of birth : Yerevan
Profession: Goes to kindergarten
Passion or Dream: My dream is to grow up as fast as possible

5 Years – Marat


Place of birth: St. Petersburg
Profession: Goes to kindergarten
Passion or Dream: I like playing with transformers, and people reading books to me and playing computer games. I dream of becoming a policeman

6 Years – Nadia


Place of birth: St. Petersburg
Profession: Goes to kindergarten
Passion or Dream: I like dancing, drawing and playing with friends. I dream of becoming a hairdresser

7 Years – Elisaveta


Place of birth: St. Petersburg
Profession: Student
Passion or Dream: I like ballet classes and ballroom dancing

8 Years – Alexander


Place of birth: Pushkin
Profession: Student
Passion or Dream: I want to become an artist

9 Years – Yulia


Place of birth: Lipetsk
Profession: Student
Passion or Dream: I love drawing and I go to an art school. I dance Spanish dances, sing karaoke and dream
of becoming a professional painter

10 Years – Valeria


Place of birth: St. Petersburg
Profession: Student
Passion or Dream: I want to become a millionaire

11 Years – Polina


Place of birth: St. Petersburg
Profession: Student
Passion or Dream: I sing and draw and I want to become a singer

12 Years – Denis


Place of birth:St. Petersburg
Profession: Student
Passion or Dream: I love to play with yo-yo’s, football and radio-controlled cars

13 Years – Valentin


Place of birth: St. Petersburg
Profession: Student
Passion or Dream: I like collecting models and want to become a lifeguard

14 Years – Vasilisa


Place of birth: St. Petersburg
Profession: Student
Passion or Dream: I am very interested in theatre. I want to become an actress and I love singing

15 Years – Sofia


Place of birth: St. Petersburg
Profession: Student
Passion or Dream: I have been drawing since my early childhood. My dream is to fly into space, but if I have to be more rational, then I would like to learn how to play the saxophone

16 Years – Natalia


Place of birth: St. Petersburg
Profession: Student
Passion or Dream: I want to cure others – it does not matter if it is people or animals. I would use various types of medicine, herbs, or even kind words

17 Years – Lev


Place of birth: St. Petersburg
Profession: Cellist
Passion or Dream: I love music

18 Years – Yulia


Place of birth: Obninsk
Profession: Student
Passion or Dream: I want to live until I am 100 years old. I also want to see new things and how they change during the time. I like to feel Russian

19 Years – Artem


Place of birth: Sestroretsk
Profession: Waiter
Passion or Dream: I like hockey and dream of sports cars

20 Years – Marina


Place of birth: Moscow
Profession: IT-specialist
Passion or Dream: I like drawing and I dream about traveling all over the world

21 Years – Demyan


Place of birth: Osh, Kirgizsky SSR
Profession: Student
Passion or Dream: I dream of having my own house near the sea

22 Years – Rodion


Place of birth: Novorossiysk
Profession: Sailor
Passion or Dream: I dream about world peace

23 Years – Natalia


Place of birth: Bendery, Moldova
Profession: Guide and interpreter
Passion or Dream: I want to be a good member of the society

24 Years – Vasiliy


Place of birth: Leningrad
Profession: Cook
Passion or Dream: Food, football, ocean. My dream is to visit New Zealand

25 Years – Irina


Place of birth: Samara
Profession: Singer
Passion or Dream: My biggest dream is to compose my own music and to share it with other people. I also want to be with my beloved person and share my joys and sorrows

26 Years – Anastasia


Place of birth: Samara
Profession: HR specialist
Passion or Dream: I would like to live in all the countries of the world and to understand different cultures

27 Years – Yuriy


Place of birth: Moscow
Profession: Priest
Passion or Dream: I wish there was peace everywhere in the world

28 Years – Alexey


Place of birth: Norilsk
Profession: Engineer
Passion or Dream: I dream of doing a lot of good things and changing the world for the better

29 Years – Anna


Place of birth: Novorossiysk
Profession: Musician
Passion or Dream: I love singing and performing – my solo concerts, playing the guitar, psychology, philosophy, traveling and studying other cultures and religions

30 Years – Ekaterina


Place of birth: St. Petersburg
Profession: Sales executive
Passion or Dream: I like ballet, traveling, extreme sports and visual arts

31 Years – Anastasia


Place of birth: St. Petersburg
Profession: Ballet dancer
Passion or Dream: Ballet

32 Years – Artem


Place of birth: Leningrad
Profession: Head of the cardiology department
Passion or Dream: I would like to become a member of the Russian Academy of Medical Science

33 Years – Georgiy


Place of birth: Sinegoriye
Profession: Fire-fighter
Passion or Dream: I want to take a photo of a polar bear together with my daughter on the island of Spitzbergen

34 Years – Anna


Place of birth: Norilsk
Profession: Accountant
Passion or Dream: I would like to do scuba diving in the Maldives and learn how to swim so I can overcome my fear of water and depth

35 Years – Konstantin


Place of birth: Moscow
Profession: Manager
Passion or Dream: I would like to sail all around the world on a yacht

36 Years


Place of birth: Leningrad
Profession: Journalist
Passion or Dream: I love different dances – bachata, hustle

37 Years – Elena


Place of birth: Otradnoe
Profession: Teacher / speech therapist
Passion or Dream: I love traveling and inventing interesting and entertaining activities for children

38 Years – Igor


Place of birth: Tulskaya
Profession: Photographer
Passion or Dream: Tourism and cycling. I would like to go to South America

39 Years – Olga


Place of birth: Kemerovo
Profession: Teacher
Passion or Dream: I dream about traveling all over the world

40 Years – Dmitri


Place of birth: Moscow
Profession: Marketing manager
Passion or Dream: I would like to ride a motorcycle on a professional track

41 Years – Alexey


Place of birth: Leningrad
Profession: Bouncer
Passion or Dream: I dream about living by a lake. I love banya, fishing and being with family

42 Years Luschik


Place of birth: Ukraine
Profession: Cutting torch operator
Passion or Dream: I would like to have a salary increase

43 Years – Elena


Place of birth: Ulyanovsk
Profession: Supervisor
Passion or Dream: I would like to visit Australia and Antarctica

44 Years – Elena


Place of birth: Leningrad
Profession: Teacher
Passion or Dream: I wish there was peace and people had opportunities to travel, learn new things and do what they love

45 Years – Vyacheslav


Place of birth: Simferopol
Profession: Land surveillance engineer
Passion or Dream: I would like to learn Dutch and Danish languages and to get less upset

46 Years – Dmitri


Place of birth: Saratov
Profession: Car wash operator
Passion or Dream: I would like to become a director

47 Years – Tatiana


Place of birth: Chelyabinsk
Profession: Soloist and pianist
Passion or Dream: Music is my life. I would like to visit as many jazz festivals as possible

48 Years – Valeriy


Place of birth: Tashkent
Profession: Driver
Passion or Dream: I love different types of music – rock, pop and classical

49 Years – Irina


Place of birth: Leningrad
Profession: Fire protection engineer
Passion or Dream: I would like to travel, first of all to Paris

50 Years – Oleg


Place of birth: Moscow
Profession: Mechanic
Passion or Dream: Traveling – I would like to visit all the countries in the world

51 Years – Alexander


Place of birth: Kiev
Profession: Conductor
Passion or Dream: I love the mountains, cycling and being with my friends. I would like to have more peace and quiet

52 Years – Leonid


Place of birth: Moldova
Profession: Agronomist
Passion or Dream: I like to study plants

53 Years – Margarita


Place of birth: Gatchina
Profession: Journalist
Passion or Dream: I write short stories and would like to publish new books

54 Years – Rosia


Place of birth: Buhara
Profession: Accountant
Passion or Dream: I dream of my son getting married, to arrange his wedding and get grandchildren. I would also like to buy a car

55 Years – Irina


Place of birth: Stavropolsk
Profession: Baker
Passion or Dream: I dream of moving to Prague to my daughter

56 Years – Nina


Place of birth: Volzsk
Profession: Librarian
Passion or Dream: I would like to create a historical museum in Zelenogorsk (Leningrad region)

57 Years – Sergey


Place of birth: Leningrad
Profession: Construction engineer
Passion or Dream: I love music and fishing

58 Years – Svetlana


Place of birth: Belаrus
Profession: Medical assistant
Passion or Dream: I love to work in my vegetable garden and I dream of having my own house full of happiness and loving people

59 Years – Petr


Place of birth: Novorossiysk
Profession: Carpenter
Passion or Dream: I like to go to the banya, and my dream is to surf the Internet on my own

60 Years – Sergey


Place of birth: Leningrad
Profession: Engineer
Passion or Dream: I like photography and traveling

61 Years – Grigoriy


Place of birth: Slavyansky
Profession: Carpenter
Passion or Dream: I dream of happiness for my grandchildren and I love fishing

62 Years – Anatoliy


Place of birth: Smolensky area
Profession: Radio technician
Passion or Dream: I like to play chess and fishing, I love driving my car and I enjoy good food

63 Years – Valeriy


Place of birth: Leningrad
Profession: Engineer
Passion or Dream: I love sport, especially football

64 Years – Valentina


Place of birth: Nerehta
Profession: Teacher
Passion or Dream: I like to work with Russian art and I like music, drawing and knitting. I love children and teaching. I dream about visiting Paris

65 Years – Vladimir


Place of birth: Leningrad
Profession: Artist
Passion or Dream: I like esoteric science and I want to gain new experiences through creative work

66 Years – Tamara


Place of birth: Khabarovsk
Profession: Engineer
Passion or Dream: I love reading historical books and I would like all people to be happy and healthy. I wish there were no wars

67 Years – Vladislav


Place of birth: Leningrad
Profession: Engineer
Passion or Dream: I dream about beautiful women

68 Years – Olga


Place of birth: Zitomirskaya area
Profession: Teacher
Passion or Dream: I wish there were no wars and that my children and grandchildren were healthy

69 Years – Albert


Place of birth: Turkmenistan
Profession: Cook
Passion or Dream: I wish to see my grandchildren’s weddings and I want my daughter to be happy. And I love cooking

70 Years – Vadim


Place of birth: Malahovka
Profession: Driver
Passion or Dream: I want to have a long life

71 Years – Oleg


Place of birth: Stalingrad
Profession: Military
Passion or Dream: I like constructing things – everything from a small cabinet to a house. I also like to repair technical equipment. I want my grandchildren to be happy

72 Years – Victor


Place of birth: Kirovsk
Profession: Driver
Passion or Dream: I would like to have an interesting life, more money and to go to the Black Sea. I would also like to have a place form where I can trade

73 Years – Svetlana


Place of birth: Malaya Vishera
Profession: Nurse
Passion or Dream: I love my dacha (country house), flowers and wish to have good health

74 Years – Ariy


Place of birth: Kronstadt
Profession: Church chorister
Passion or Dream: I would like to have a decent pension and I love woodcarving

75 Years – Ludmila


Place of birth: Leningrad
Profession: Art historian
Passion or Dream: My whole professional life I was involved in restoration works and I’ve been breeding and taking care of Greyhounds for 50 years

76 Years – Margarita


Place of birth: Leningrad
Profession: Interpreter
Passion or Dream: I dream of having a stable work and moving from the newly built area to the historical center

77 Years – Stanislav


Place of birth: Arkhangelsk
Profession: Ship builder
Passion or Dream: I would like to create my family’s family tree by using a computer program

78 Years – Iza


Place of birth: Arkhangelsk
Profession: Waitress
Passion or Dream: I dream of getting rid of all problems and having an addition to my pension

79 Years – Nina


Place of birth: Kurgansky area
Profession: Glassblower
Passion or Dream: I want to bring up my great-grandson and to do housework

80 Years – Igor


Place of birth: Yaroslavl
Profession: Professor
Passion or Dream: I wish that Russia becomes really strong. I write training materials and my memories of relatives and parents

81 Years – Zoya


Place of birth: Yaroslavsky area
Profession: Shop assistant
Passion or Dream: I want to have a good health and I like embroidery

82 Years – Nilolay


Place of birth: Vologodsky area
Profession: Excavator operator
Passion or Dream: I would like to meet a good woman and to get a family

83 Years – Valentin


Place of birth: Leningrad
Profession: Artist
Passion or Dream: Painting, photography, “Sanki”-painting. I would like to let this world know about a special form of painting

84 Years – Anastasia


Place of birth: Leningrad
Profession: Nurse
Passion or Dream: I recently got married and I want my husband and I to be healthy. And I want to help people

85 Years – Victor


Place of birth: Podolsk
Profession: Military (Air Force)
Passion or Dream: It is impossible to live without inspiration. I am a chairman for the veteran society

86 Years – Margarita


Place of birth: Saratovsky area
Profession: Production engineer
Passion or Dream: I dream of making a masterpiece from patchwork, to live long and to continue learning German language

87 Years – Maria


Place of birth: Torzok
Profession: Packer
Passion or Dream: I dream of being able to walk on my own legs until the very end

88 Years – Ksenia


Place of birth: Pskovskaya area
Profession: Pensioner
Passion or Dream: I wish to bring up my great-grandson

89 Years – Muza


Place of birth: Pushkin
Profession: Bibliographer
Passion or Dream: I want to be healthy and to quietly leave this world, not noticing the end

90 Years – Leonid


Place of birth: Tula
Profession: 1st rank (navy officer)
Passion or Dream: I want to live a bit longer in my current condition. I relax a lot, but also love doing things like repairing wheels

91 Years – Lidia


Place of birth: Velikie Luki
Profession: Ship designer
Passion or Dream: I would like to visit Denmark. I play the guitar and sing Russian songs

92 Years – Anna


Place of birth: Leningrad
Profession: Nurse
Passion or Dream: I would love to have a family and relatives and to be in good health

93 Years – Nadezda


Place of birth: Ukraine
Profession: Cashier
Passion or Dream: I want to live until I am 100 years old and be healthy and active

94 Years – Sofia


Place of birth: Sivirskoe
Profession: Nurse
Passion or Dream: I like good and tasty food and to read books

95 Years – Vera


Place of birth: Moscow
Profession: Economics engineer
Passion or Dream: Above all I want to be healthy

96 Years – Nadezda


Place of birth: Briansky area
Profession:Production engineer
Passion or Dream: I want peace and quiet, my life was very stressful

97 Years – Petr


Place of birth: Ural
Profession: Electrician, retired colonel
Passion or Dream: I dream of living for more than 100 years

98 Years – Roza


Place of birth: Gomel
Profession: Factory worker
Passion or Dream:I already have everything – everything that I would like to have

99 Years – Alexandra


Place of birth: Kostromsky area
Profession:Accountant
Passion or Dream: I want to relax

100 Years – Evdokiya


Place of birth: Smolensky area
Profession: Worker
Passion or Dream: I dream of walking by myself, being independent and alive