I’m Yana and I come from Ukraine! I have quite artistic soul and an eye for pretty things. I live in Vienna since 2022, I take lots of photos with my phone, and I like to play with words among other things. I traveled home (Kyiv) recently – it made me rethink many many things considering my existence here in Vienna, and how strange (and eerie) it is that people live so differently yet so similarly in two countries that are not so far away from each other. I’m combining photography and short texts.
What do you think about when you’re at a cemetery?
I have kind of mastered parallel thinking during the last 4,5 years of immigration after having to leave my home, Ukraine. Living in Vienna ever since, I’m finding my ground here, searching for community and connection. Every day I think about everyone and everything that’s left in my hometown, sometimes I dissosiate very hard at viennese parties, sometimes I feel guilty for having fun. It gets tough some days, I get lost most of the time, I don’t know which side I want to focus on – I just know that I want to live a good life (somewhere) and bring something beautiful into people’s lives, be it music, flowers, gifts, or food. I love the people I’ve met in Vienna. I miss all the people I’ve met in Kyiv. I want to coexist with both, I just need to find a way.