Nelly Josephine Atamuratova is a young artist living in The Republic of Moldova; she was my student when I was a Peace Corps Volunteer. Nelly has recently branched out from painting and drawing into photography. She sends me emails of images from Moldova, Romania, and Turkey and I edit them for her in Photoshop. It’s a creative and collaborative way for us to share our art and our lives across the continents.
[Istanbul, Turkey – 2010 © Nelly J. Atamuratova]
Dear Melly,
This photo was taken from my mom’s apartment. l was waiting for her to come home and to take me for a walk, so l was distracting myself…as l could and always can with my camera.
It was so strange for me to see these stores, stacked up so close to one another – especially when, immediately at the next floor, there is an apartment. We have nothing like it in Moldova. From this view, you can hear the store owners hocking their wears – their voices rising up from the street as they invite pedestrians into their stores. There are still others whose voices entice you to buy some food, juice…all kind of things. I feel a lot of pity and admiration for these men, who try to survive somehow.
All of this made me feel like a real stranger in the world – a person falling in love with this city but a stranger all at once.
Love,
Nelly