Monument to the Revolution of the people of Moslavina in Podgaric, Croatia. (Benedetta Ristori)

Despite not having any personal connections with Yugoslavia, freelance photographer Benedetta Ristori wanted to pay tribute to the former country’s forgotten past by capturing abandoned buildings like the Spomenik memorials through her own photographic lens.

“The experience of being in front of these monuments, so big and powerful, but at the same time so isolated and sad, for me, was really touching and moving,” the 27-year-old photographer told weather.com.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Yugoslav president Josip Tito commissioned the Brutalist monuments to commemorate World War II battlefields. There are a total of 25 monuments, many of which are candidates for UNESCO protection.

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With a passion and fascination for Brutalist architecture, Ristori wanted to find a photo subject in the style. She came across the Spomenik—Slavic for “monuments”—memorials. “[They] are reminders of bloody battles and thousands of deaths in the concentration camps,” said Ritori.

“In my photographic research, you’ll often find the concept of emptiness and abandonment,” she said. Her current photo project, titled “Lay Off,” focuses on exposing the lives and working conditions of lonely night workers. “In addition to wanting to capture photographically these [monuments], I think it is important to respect and pay homage to their sense, and all the pain [of those] who have suffered the lands from which [the monuments] arise.”

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To achieve the feeling of emptiness and abandonment, Ristori specifically chose to photograph the monuments in the winter. She said that the parallel—the season and the vibe she was going for—came naturally to her. “How it would be seen in [the] winter, especially in these lands where the winters are cold,” she said, “the charm of winter light, the white that surrounds Spomenik, making them almost [monochromatic] with the landscape that surrounds them is unmatched.”

The monuments, inconveniently for the photographer, are located in the mountains and remote areas. So she unfortunately couldn’t access all 25 structures. But, for that reason, she hopes to go back and continue her series.

“In general, through my projects, I try to document the issues that strike me through my photographic style,” she said. “The goal is the viewer’s confrontation with the theme through my interpretation.”