‘Toxic Love’, the claustraphobic photo set by Angelina Zaytseva

A narrative photo project exploring emotional intimacy and dependency through photography, performance and conceptual styling.

Toxic Love is a visually disciplined photography project that examines emotional dependency, intimacy and suffocation through restrained yet confrontational imagery.

Photographer Angelina Zaytseva demonstrates a confident command of narrative sequencing, using repetition and proximity to build psychological tension throughout the series. Her use of translucent materials becomes a recurring visual device, symbolising vulnerability and entrapment without resorting to overt symbolism.

The models, Stanislava Platova and Ilya Anisimov, deliver performances marked by physical trust and emotional precision. Their interaction is convincingly intimate, with body language and positioning carrying the weight of the narrative rather than overt gesture. This subtlety strengthens the conceptual clarity of the work and avoids theatrical excess. They both perform a meditation on codependency beautifully.

Wardrobe stylist Dasha Darev supports the narrative through deliberately pared back styling. The contemporary, accessible garments create a sense of realism that contrasts effectively with the conceptual staging, grounding the images in recognisable emotional experience. The consistency of wardrobe choices across the series reinforces continuity and cohesion.

Makeup artist Maria Sorokina contributes a controlled, understated aesthetic that enhances skin texture and expression rather than dominating the frame. Her work complements the lighting and materials, allowing emotion to remain central.

Overall, Toxic Love is a focused and professionally executed project that balances conceptual ambition with technical finesse, resulting in a suffocating and vulnerable series.