In the graveyards of Russia and other former-Soviet states there exist some curious reminders of the chaos that came following the fall of the communist superpower.
Gravestones, often as high as three metres, depict fallen mafiosos along with their possessions, in rather gaudy reminders of their worldly status.
Photographer Denis Tarasov has spent some time documenting these relics of a violent period in recent Russian history.
Many of the deaths occurred in the 90s, when after the fall of the Soviet Union, mafia activity boomed in the new unprotected marketplace.
The 'Mafia Wars' of the period saw a wave of violence and crime in Russia and the Eastern bloc, as rival factions competed wealth and power.
As in life, ostentation in death is the common thread in the monuments, as Tarasov explained to the Huffington Post:
"In the nineties, the graves of criminal authorities began to have large and expensive tombstones - at a height of about three meters and engraved with a full-length portrait and an expensive car in the background.
"This was done primarily to stand out and surpass all the dead in the cemetery, as well as the people that try to outdo everyone in life."
Denis Tarasov, Untitled (from the Essence Series), 2013, C-print, 119.2 x 101.5 cm, (c) Denis Tarasov, 2013, Image courtesy of the Saatchi Gallery, London
Denis Tarasov, Untitled (from the Essence Series), 2013, C-print, 119.2 x 101.5 cm, (c) Denis Tarasov, 2013, Image courtesy of the Saatchi Gallery, London
Denis Tarasov, Untitled (from the Essence Series), 2013, C-print, 119.2 x 101.5 cm, (c) Denis Tarasov, 2013, Image courtesy of the Saatchi Gallery, London
Denis Tarasov, Untitled (from the Essence Series), 2013, C-print, 119.2 x 101.5 cm, (c) Denis Tarasov, 2013, Image courtesy of the Saatchi Gallery, London
