The project poses the question: who are today’s "real" criminals?
Belgian artist and director Nicolas Viers, founder of Balkan Trafik, immerses viewers in the secret universe of "thieves in law." Their tattoos are living archives, preserving memories of the vanishing world of the criminal brotherhood, which once held parallel power in the GULAGs of the Stalin era. "In the Company of Criminals" is the name of the photo exhibition running until November 9, 2025, in Brussels.
Belgian artist and director Nicolas Viers, founder of Balkan Trafik, immerses visitors in the secret universe of "thieves in law," who were once at the heart of the criminal world during the Soviet and post-Soviet periods. The stories written on their tattooed bodies reveal glimpses of those who lived and live on the fringes of society, raising questions about crime, stigmatization, and empathy.
Nicolas Viers developed the project in Moldova, establishing connections within the community of thieves in Chișinău and Tiraspol. Their tattoos—symbols of belonging, rank, and history—are living archives that preserve memories of a disappearing world. The brotherhood of "thieves in law" once held parallel power in the GULAGs of the Stalin era.
The exhibition features 140 black-and-white photographs with captions detailing the heroes and the symbols adorning their bodies, as well as 10 video interviews with subtitles and 10 drawn portraits by Yuri Palkov, complementing the visual narrative.
The social, artistic, and ethical exploration "In the Company of Criminals" is more than a documentary: it is an invitation to rethink notions of crime, social isolation, and justice. Viers urges visitors to look beyond stereotypes, considering the blurred line between marginalized former prisoners and influential "respectable" criminals at the center of society. The project poses the question: who are today’s "real" criminals—the ones living on the margins or those in privileged positions who evade punishment?
The show by the non-profit organization Balkan Trafik, "1001 Suitcases," uses photography as a bridge between the Balkans and Belgium, expanding a 20-year experience of intercultural artistic research.
Nicolas Viers gave an exclusive interview to Euronews Culture, sharing how he spent several years in Moldova and Transnistria photographing these people, gaining their trust, and documenting a little-known subculture. Once revered as "gods" of the Soviet criminal world, he recounts, many of them now find themselves on the fringes of society, caught in a cycle of poverty and drug addiction.
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