Masha - Mariia

My daughter’s name is Masha. In Russia, she was always called Masha. When we moved to Germany, she was four years old and became Mariia - the name written in all official documents. Explaining the difference between these two names was impossible, especially for a child who did not yet speak the language. Gradually, Masha became Maria in the outside world, while remaining Masha within the family.

This project is a series of intimate portraits of Masha, not Maria. Photographed at close emotional distance, the work reflects a child growing up between languages and identities. The name becomes a quiet boundary between home and the external world - a place where belonging, adaptation, and the formation of self unfold slowly and without resolution.

2024 - ongoing