Aleksander Lobanov became deaf and mute after contracting meningitis as a child. His family had him institutionalized at the age of 23 due to aggressive behavior. From 1954, he began drawing, keeping his creations hidden in a small suitcase that he never parted with.
In the 1970s, he developed a passion for photography and often staged himself in numerous photographs. Thanks to his connection with the driver of Afonino Psychiatric Hospital, he was able to travel to the nearby town of Yaroslav, where he posed for photos and bought caps and ties for his scenes. In his drawings and photographs, Lobanov created his own unique universe, populated with cardboard rifles and pistols, while reinterpreting decorative symbols from communist propaganda.