More, one of the most authoritative American magazines for women, has published Rena Effendi’s photo report A Country of Women, which depicts the residents of the areas surrounding Chernobyl.
The text, written by famed American TV journalist, producer and Emmy Award winner Holly Morris, tells about the lives of the women who refused to leave the contaminated zone 25 years ago. The series of portraits accompanied by short interviews or comments shows “babushkas” who have endured life’s hardships but who are not downtrodden, whether in spirit or in body.
“The people who left have a lot of problems. When you abandon your village, you leave your soul there,” says 71-year old Galina (see photo). She helped to load contaminated grain and now has cancer. In Rena’s portrait is depicted a majestic elderly woman surrounded by icons she personally embroidered; the verse in the open book reads: “I give you a new commandment: love one another”.
Some works from the Chernobyl series can be seen at the exhibition Rena Effendi: Real Color which is on display at the Gallery. Photographer.ru.
For the entire article, visit the More site.