Photography

What Remains

PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE TRANSITION

1990–2010

Central & Eastern Europe/former Soviet Union

I spent 20 years in more than a dozen countries working to create new social welfare systems with UNICEF and the World Bank.

It was a historic period. The transition from communism to capitalism began with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Soviet Union in 1991. During that time, I took thousands of photographs in institutions, in communities, and in people’s homes.

I began working in Romania in 1991 when the horror of their so-called orphanages became known to the world. I made 48 trips to the region during those years – to Romania, Lithuania, Armenia, Tajikistan, Latvia, Albania, Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Hungary, Poland, East Germany, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Ukraine. Ten of those countries are represented in this exhibit.

Some changes in the region have been positive and some not. Some things have changed very little: there continues to be environmental damage, racism, and large residential institutions, mislabeled “orphanages,” that continue to house children who are poor, abused, or disabled. In many places, there continues to be an absence of real democracy.

A popular joke in Eastern Europe during the reign of communism asked, “What is the difference between communism and capitalism?” The answer said ironically, and in protest, was “In capitalism man exploits man. In communism it’s the other way around.” Reflecting that quote, it is difficult to tell if the scenes in some of the photographs are a product of communism or capitalism.

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