Eternal Nymphets

Eternal Nymphets, also known as EN, was an online subscription service and photography studio based in Ukraine, operating under the business name "Studio 13". The studio was founded by Alexander Fradis, a photographer who also served as the primary model recruiter, and Daniel Leuenberger, a Swiss financier who provided backing for the project. From late 2000 to February 2002, the studio created a large collection of photographic images, mostly taken in Odessa, featuring young teenage and prepubescent girls. Approximately 64 girls, primarily from Moldova, were recruited as models, and their images were sold online through the Internet.

Young models of Eternal Nymphets.

The Rise and Fall

Daniel Leuenberger first took notice of Alexander Fradis when the latter had an exhibition in Germany, where Fradis had already gained a degree of notoriety for his artistic photographs of young teenage girls, which he had been producing between 1996 and 2001. During this period, Fradis had showcased his work in several exhibitions, including those in Munich (1997-1998), Moscow (1998), Chisinau (1997), and Odessa. Slovo, a Ukrainian newspaper based in Odessa, commented on Fradis' photo exhibition, titled "White Angels", stating:

The photo exhibition, opened in the World Club of Odessa Residents (7, Marazliyivska str.), is dedicated to the spiritual world of an adolescent. Young models of the photoamateur Alexander Fradis, present at the ‘White angels” opening, confirmed that the author had seen in them much of that, which usually escapes the traditionally indifferent look of the adults.

Daniel Leuenberger on how he met Alexander Fradis:

In November-December 1999 I got acquainted through Internet with Alexander Fradis (I was greatly impressed by his exhibition photos), who lived in Munich with his spouse Monica Gisler and his two children. We met each other personally only in 2000. It was at that time that we decided to establish an art project – “Studio-13”. Fradis was poor as a church mouse, and I promised him that I would invest money into this idea. He managed to get financing from other sponsors too. I know that for the first time Alexander visited Odessa in September 1999. After that he visited Ukraine more than once, later on he invited me as well.

On the founding of the studio:

The story of Studio 13 began many years ago. Our photographer Sasha was very fascinated by David Hamilton and Jock Sturges, to tell just a few.

In 1996 he started his first shootings and some of his works has been exibited in galeries in Russia and Germany. Also a TV documentation about his work has been published on the russian television. Many shooting serias from him has been rated in different medias and he won the first place with his pictures in many photographical competitions.

The first contact between Sasha and Damiells was in 1999. But the plans for a website has only be realised after a meeting in june 2000. The website has been called Eternal Nymphets and nobody expected to have any earnings or success.

After the first release of the exclusive pictures, the site suddently was a legend and we had overnight 30 millions visitors and high earnings. In september 2000 Sasha and Damiells decided to use this money to help and build a future for the families and specially the girls. The official Studio 13 project was born.

After a few weeks preparation of the definitive concept, the new companies to secure the future of the girls has been founded in november 2000.

Since this time we are working to establish this companies and finish to write the software for the internet applications. And during this time we have started oyr educational program for the girls in computer technology.

In a few weeks, our companies will be ready for the worldwide market and the future costumers will be supported by a team of (older) young girls and some specialists. And if we have the expected success with our companies, we'll be a part of thoose peoples that changed the world.

Hundreds of jobs will be created during the next years and with our services, we will revolutionize the internet.

Studio 13 is not a project like every other. Studio 13 is something very special and certainly the most controversial art project in the world.

In today's atmosphere of mass paranoia in reference to any notion of child or teenage nudity or eroticism our Studio 13 is an answer to all hypocrits who loudly scream about children's rights, but do absolutely nothing to help those kids to survive.

Studio 13 is more than only making nude or nonude artistic productions. In countries of this world where kids have no future and sometimes no family to care about them, Studio 13 cares about whatever we can do.

The difference between Studio 13 and many photographers is that we work with a team of same girls over many years. Studio 13 is an educational center that teaches in photography, posing, choreography and computer technology.

Studio 13 is the place where creativity of artists joins with spirituality of "chosen creatures" (whom V.Nabokov proposed to designate as nymphets) for producing magical images with the noble purpose to make time freeze.

Girls affiliated with Studio 13 are very usual and very special at the same time. They go to school, read books, listen to all kinds of music, quarrel with their parents (if they have) and tease the boys from around the corner. Not some Barby-like dolls, but perfectly alive and natural, they share just one particular thing: their AURA distingishing them from the rest of the girly crowd.

At Studio 13 we would like to creatively study this nymphet phenomenon and produce more and more highly artistic, tastefully provocative and still legal images of our young girls on a regular basis. The income generated by Studio 13 is used to support the studio and its wonderful girls and thoose families (clothes, nutrition, education, health, etc.).

In countries where families with parents and two kids have to share one room to live, one bed to sleep and one appartement with 5 other families and sometimes don't have any ressources to get the money for food, life is more like a survival training.

Situations are sometimes so desparate, that 6 years old kids have to make prostitution on the streets and sometimes kids never come back home again. Never money from care organisations has reached this countries and nobody cares about what happen.

Because families don't have intimacy and have to share the daily life with many other peoples, nudity is something normal and natural for this kids. In the winter time they don't have control over the power of heaters. In many rooms you can only live light clothed or unclothed because its too hot. But anyway, public nudity is considered differently as in so called "civilisated countries". Nudity is something normal and part of the daily life. For this reasons, our girls are never shy to be nude and like to be unclothed at home. Shy is not natural but fabricated by religions, medias and education.

At Studio 13 we have strong believes and our philosophy.

We promote and fight for :

- better care of children against physical, sexual and psychological abuse

- enhance the self-authority and independance of children concerning the choice how to live and believes.

- the right of education without violence (against any corporal punishments)

- the right to be educated depending the needs and interests

- education that promotes tolerance, responsability, self initiative, honesty and against racism and fashism

- enhance the creativity and the skills

- the freedom of free artistical speech according the First Amendement of most countries.

As Leuenberger delved deeper into photography, he discovered a collection of unpublished, edgier photographs taken by Fradis, which were more explicit and provocative than their previous work. Fradis released some of these images in publications like Lolita Arts and Lolita Dreams, but this move exacerbated the existing creative differences within the group. A division emerged, with Fradis pushing for more explicit content and others, including Leuenberger, advocating for a more restrained approach due to concerns about potential legal repercussions. This disagreement reflected fundamentally different visions for the project, with Fradis seeking to explore transgressive themes and Leuenberger prioritizing caution.

Even though Fradis produced these images, he himself felt compelled to speak out against child pornography, not from a moral or legal standpoint, but as an artist who is disturbed by its supposed "anti-aesthetic nature".

I feel compelled to speak out about the dejecting phenomenon of child pornography. I want to make it clear that I'm not approaching this issue from a moral or legal perspective, but rather as an artist. Child pornography is disturbing to me because of its anti-aesthetic nature, which I believe is true of all pornography. The existence of child pornography, particularly on the internet, has a harmful effect on those who want to openly discuss the topic of child eroticism and showcase professional works of art related to the subject. There are many examples of artists who have explored this theme in their work, including Lewis Carroll, Dorotea Tanning, Baltus, David Hamilton, Jock Sturges, Ron Oliver, Graham Ovenden, Jan Saudek, and Aura Cepulinskeite, among others.

The partnership between Leuenberger and Fradis ultimately ended in a falling out, with various reasons cited for the split. Leuenberger had grown increasingly uncomfortable with Fradis' treatment of the models and his personal behavior, including allegations that Fradis allowed the girls to smoke, failed to maintain a clean environment, and engaged in drug abuse. Leuenberger also claimed that Fradis had offered to sleep with some of the models, which contributed to the end of their professional relationship.

The split led to a significant change in their operations. In March 2001, Fradis took a group of loyal models, including the Gladcova sisters and their mothers, to start new ventures, such as Astral Nymphets, and briefly gained control of the Eternal Nymphets website. Leuenberger attempted to report Fradis to the police, but the outcome of that endeavor is unclear. Leuenberger eventually regained control of Eternal Nymphets and continued to run the site, along with another, until they were seized by police in February 2002 for containing child pornography.

After the seizure, Leuenberger relaunched Eternal Nymphets, shifting his focus to non-nude photography to avoid further legal issues. He updated the site with new photos of his models until 2004 and then repurposed it to feature content from the dormant Swiss Arts models websites. The site finally ceased operations in 2007, along with the other Swiss Arts websites.

Legal Troubles

Fradis and Leuenberger's operations began unraveling after the Ministry of Internal Affairs received information about the transportation of girls across the border from Moldova. An operating group was set up, with the assistance of frontier guards. During an operation on the Chisinau-Odessa train, authorities identified two women who had frequently accompanied groups of young girls. When crossing the border, these women presented fake powers of attorney, allegedly from the girls' parents. The women, along with five girls aged 9 to 14, were detained and questioned. Initially, the women claimed they were taking the children on a visit at the request of their parents. However, the girls revealed that they had been paid $25-50 by two foreigners, Alexander and Daniel, to participate in certain activities. The identities of the two women were confirmed as Ulya, a 36-year-old from Moldova, and Dasha, a 32-year-old from Pridnestrovje.

The circumstances surrounding the fate of these two women are unclear. Nevertheless, it appears that both Fradis and Leuenberger managed to avoid any legal consequences.

Ex-Models

• Alina Nijelskaia
• Aljona
• Aliona Rassolova
• Anja
• Doina Sirbu
• Ira
• Ira (Sunshine)
• Ira Gladcova
  • Older sister of Valentina Gladcova.
• Katia Lisniciek
• Katia Tashi
• Kristina Apertri
• Kristina Shchiopu
• Lena
• Luba
• Marianna
• Natasha
• Nastia Muntean
  • Younger sister of Sveta Muntean. Older sister of Sabina Muntean.
• Olia
• Oliga Dovganiuk
• Romina Juravskaia
  • Wife of Daniel Leuenberger.
• Sabina Muntean
  • Younger sister of Nastia Muntean and Sveta Muntean.
• Sveta Muntean
  • Older sister of Nastia Muntean and Sabina Muntean.
• Sveta Voitetcaia
• Sveta Youngol
• Valentina
• Valentina Gladcova
  • Younger sister of Ira Gladcova.
• Valentina Ursaky
• Vika
• Vika

See also

• LS Studio - Another Ukraine-based studio, which operated from 2001 to August 2004.
• Passion Despair - A documentary about Daniel Leuenberger, his photography of young teenage girls, and the controversy it has caused. Promotional material for the documentary can be found on passion-despair.com (archived).