Postpartum
Past (im)perfect
work in progress
Yuliya Ruzhechka
Past (im)perfect
work in progress
Yuliya Ruzhechka
I remember this moment.
You were falling asleep, rocked in my arms. And the day was slowly turning down into nights.
The light was steaming away leaving place for shadows and stars.
And suddenly this thin stripe of light, edging, projected through window shutters on the wall in front of us. In absolute quietness and stillness.
And all of a sudden the feeling of happiness and gratefulness in its biggest and most sincere simplicity spreading all over me.
Out of this moments I build my inner shelter of joy and calm, where I can dive whenever feeling overwhelmed and in need to find my inner resources.
So simple. So precious. True "moment de grâce".
You were falling asleep, rocked in my arms. And the day was slowly turning down into nights.
The light was steaming away leaving place for shadows and stars.
And suddenly this thin stripe of light, edging, projected through window shutters on the wall in front of us. In absolute quietness and stillness.
And all of a sudden the feeling of happiness and gratefulness in its biggest and most sincere simplicity spreading all over me.
Out of this moments I build my inner shelter of joy and calm, where I can dive whenever feeling overwhelmed and in need to find my inner resources.
So simple. So precious. True "moment de grâce".
Postpartum is a journey of complexity, vulnerability, and discovery.
Through blurred images, fragmented texts, and imagined constellations, this ongoing project explores the raw, imperfect, and transformative experiences of early motherhood.
It is a diary, a meditation, and a manifesto: a reflection of love, strength, and self-compassion in the midst of chaos and wonder.
Through blurred images, fragmented texts, and imagined constellations, this ongoing project explores the raw, imperfect, and transformative experiences of early motherhood.
It is a diary, a meditation, and a manifesto: a reflection of love, strength, and self-compassion in the midst of chaos and wonder.
It all started when my baby girl was born.
I dived into the world of postpartum. Words and images seemed to fail me in describing this initiatory journey, this unexpected challenge.
Even though we had prepared for it. Even though we had longed for it.
Words and images had always been my companions—tools to explore the world, to understand it, to reflect on it.
To question. To magnify. To contemplate. To search for answers.
Yet, as I tried to document this new chapter—new me, new us—many images came out blurry, imperfect, underexposed.
Just like the postpartum period itself.
Complex. Still unseen. Somehow hidden.
I dived into the world of postpartum. Words and images seemed to fail me in describing this initiatory journey, this unexpected challenge.
Even though we had prepared for it. Even though we had longed for it.
Words and images had always been my companions—tools to explore the world, to understand it, to reflect on it.
To question. To magnify. To contemplate. To search for answers.
Yet, as I tried to document this new chapter—new me, new us—many images came out blurry, imperfect, underexposed.
Just like the postpartum period itself.
Complex. Still unseen. Somehow hidden.
Many texts remain fragments, unfinished, chaotic.
Just like the postpartum period itself.
And that is how this project—born of necessity, not choice—took shape.
Images and texts.
Honest and compassionate.
Imperfect.
Full of mixed feelings, of laughter and love.
Just like the postpartum period itself.
And that is how this project—born of necessity, not choice—took shape.
Images and texts.
Honest and compassionate.
Imperfect.
Full of mixed feelings, of laughter and love.
This project is my research, my search for answers, my act of (self)compassion, my manifesto.
On the complex period of postpartum, on maternity, on transformation.
I am Yuliya.
Photographer. Journalist. Curator. Lecturer. Researcher. Project Manager. Mom.
On the complex period of postpartum, on maternity, on transformation.
I am Yuliya.
Photographer. Journalist. Curator. Lecturer. Researcher. Project Manager. Mom.
For the research stage of this project I'm questionning persons who had gone or are going through postpartum, in order to deepen my perspective on it and to build a meaningful project.
If you'd like to help my research (or you know someone who would), here is the link to the questionnaire.
If you'd like to help my research (or you know someone who would), here is the link to the questionnaire.
Let's stay in touch.
