Fascinated by New York City's stripping underworld from a very young age, at 19-year-old photographer Yana Toyber found herself fully immersed within its culture.
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Taken over the course of a year at different island locations, Yana Toyber's recent photographs are celebrations of femininity. In her own words, "there is a strong connection between women and water. In women and water there is the ability to birth new life." However precise her subject-matter, there's an open-endedness to the overaching significance of her work. Mingling commercial photography with landscapes and portraiture, Toyber is sensitive to the inveterate difficulty of photographing nature in process. Her images feel spontaneous, otherworldly. Here are some favorites. WM
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Actually, I haven't really thought about it that much. My work has grown and evolved a lot since I first started shooting! The one thing that always seems to be a common theme is the way I capture women. My subject matter is often very female-centric. I have documented sex workers, female surfers, fellow female photographers, models, and brides, all with a delicate yet empowering eye. At least I would like to believe that!"
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"you feel like you’re on the edge of the earth," Toyber said, adding that they're sometimes called "birthing pools" or "queens' baths," due to local history and legends.
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"I would like to show moments in time that are not visible to the naked eye"
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" Time is not linear, as we perceive it to be. Time is a lot more abstract and surreal. The work is a representation of that theory."
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"A lot of Yana's work celebrates the grace and grit of beautiful women and their fearless ways. These photos are an engrossing account of one of the world's most dangerous professions under today's safest conditions."
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