Goodbye My Chechnya

I was 21 when I first arrived in Chechnya.
A year later, I moved to Grozny. I thought I was documenting a society recovering from war, but instead I found myself witnessing a quiet transformation already underway.

When I first arrived, many of the girls I met wore miniskirts and left their hair uncovered.
By the time of my last shoot, I was photographing teenage girls in gym class wearing hijabs, long skirts, and long sleeves. The change had happened quickly, and everywhere.

In Chechnya, even small acts could carry consequences for young women. A girl caught smoking risked arrest. Rumors of a relationship before marriage could lead to violence, even honor killings.

Over time, the young women I photographed became my friends.
Through them, I witnessed what it meant to come of age in a society reshaping itself through religion, tradition, and state power. This work is a portrait of that generation of Chechen women, and of the brief moment when I watched their world change around them.

2011–2012