16 unexpected photos of what are actually nightclubs in China

Ukrainian photographer Sergey Melnichenko created a shocking and slightly discouraging photo project called Behind the scenes, demonstrating the "inside out" of girls working in nightclubs in China. This series of photographs aroused considerable resonance and interest among European and American audiences.

His pictures are about how unsweetened, glamorous and unattractive this existence is.

Indeed, the backstage of China's nightclubs excites with its naturalism.

This is not a grandiose performance, but the gray everyday life of a night club in Chengdu.

There is much more burlesque than on stage.

“I went to China to work there as a dancer. At first, there wasn’t enough time to shoot - I had to learn a lot of new dances, get ready for work and adapt to the environment. And then off and on,” Sergey shared.

“This is a nightclub and karaoke, but it’s more like a bar with a stage for artists. There are girls here who sit with their clients at tables and pay for money. This is called consummation. These same girls are artists: singing, dancing, in general They entertain the audience. Every evening the program is almost the same ... I take the camera. The dressing room is preparing for the show, and the search for interesting shots and moments is already beginning, "he says.

"Since this is a Chinese club, it’s very smoky in the locker room. In China, you can smoke wherever you want. So, going into the locker room, you immediately see a pillar of cigarette smoke. It’s also very dirty here, because the Chinese are very sloppy. Locker doors are all "They’re broken. Drunk workers - they’re girls artists and consumables - a topic for another discussion."

Sergey’s photographs, except for Ukraine, are also exhibited in Sweden, Slovakia, Argentina, Poland, the USA, Great Britain, Czech Republic and Portugal.