Anastasiia Polyakov

A Photographer Capturing Authentic Human Experience

I was born in Ukraine and have recently celebrated my 10-year anniversary of coming to the US. I ‘blame’ my bluntness and forceful nature on my culture, which has also taught me to appreciate what I have at any given point. Like the Schuyler sister, I am never satisfied, but my restlessness fuels me to never stop exploring. SO TENDER IS HUMANITY, so vivid are the colors, so kind is human spirit, and wild are the lovers. We wrote this poem when we were daydreaming about what we want to achieve with our art. It extends past our work into our daily intentions because we appreciate the marvelous vastness of human experience, the beautiful life we can live when we allow ourselves to be emotionally authentic and expressive and kindly allow others to do the same. Everyone has passions that may be difficult to put into words and a mountain to climb that may be invisible to others. Our intention is to memorialize the essence of existence. To show not only what it looks like but what it feels like to be you, here and now. Compassion is our religion, kindness is our language. It goes without saying, but has to be said; we are welcoming to all denominations, orientations, beliefs, and life paths. Our hearts are always open to the diversity of minds, amplitude of feelings, and unapologetic vulnerability.