Anne Bobroff-Hajal's background in painting, animation, and Russian history have merged in her series collectively titled Playground of the Autocrats.

Influenced by graphic novels, animation, icons, and political cartoons – all stories told in pictures and words – Anne Bobroff-Hajal’s satirical but deadly serious artworks explore why Russian autocracy, from Ivan the Terrible through Stalin to Putin, has lasted for over five centuries. An artist with a PhD in Russian history, Bobroff-Hajal's artistic passion is to portray the fiery struggles of individual human beings within Russian autocracy, shaped by its unique geography, both natural and human.