https://yanapaskova.com/ 2026-03-16 weekly 1.0 https://yanapaskova.com/about-me 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/DSCF9160.jpg https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Boiko.jpg https://yanapaskova.com/contact 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/newspapers_mug.jpg https://yanapaskova.com/copyright 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 https://yanapaskova.com/helping-women 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 https://yanapaskova.com/where-women-rule 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 https://yanapaskova.com/power-of-poo 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 https://yanapaskova.com/25-years-after 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 https://yanapaskova.com/communism-relived 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 https://yanapaskova.com/cuba-bulgaria-layers 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Paskova_Yana_001.jpg This is my father's Army uniform (complete with a five-pointed star — the symbol of Communist rule,) worn during a mandatory two-year service in the Bulgarian military in the 1970s. It is superimposed with Cuban children wearing the uniform of Communist youth as they salute "Votó!" ("S/he voted!") to citizens casting ballots for delegates to the country's unicameral parliament. Voting is not a mandatory activity in Cuba, but frowned upon if not exercised. Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. This is my father's Army uniform (complete with a five-pointed star — the symbol of Communist rule,) worn during a mandatory two-year service in the Bulgarian military in the 1970s. It is superimposed with Cuban children wearing the uniform of Communist youth as they salute "Votó!" ("S/he voted!") to citizens casting ballots for delegates to the country's unicameral parliament. Voting is not a mandatory activity in Cuba, but frowned upon if not exercised. Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Paskova_Yana_002.jpg Second from left is a young me of the 1980s, wearing the Communist youth uniform mandatory for all school activities, and a young Cuban student wearing the same in front of an office for the CDR (Committee for the Defense of the Revolution.) The CDR is a network of neighborhood watch organizations peppered across Cuba, that report on any activity they deem counter-revolutionary or a threat to Communist rule. My grandfather spent 5 years of his youth in a Communist labor camp after one such organization noted his lack of participation in the party. Elementary schoolchildren in many Communist countries wear scarves as part of the uniform of the children’s Communist youth: blue or red, depending on their age. Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. Second from left is a young me of the 1980s, wearing the Communist youth uniform mandatory for all school activities, and a young Cuban student wearing the same in front of an office for the CDR (Committee for the Defense of the Revolution.) The CDR is a network of neighborhood watch organizations peppered across Cuba, that report on any activity they deem counter-revolutionary or a threat to Communist rule. My grandfather spent 5 years of his youth in a Communist labor camp after one such organization noted his lack of participation in the party. Elementary schoolchildren in many Communist countries wear scarves as part of the uniform of the children’s Communist youth: blue or red, depending on their age. Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Paskova_Yana_003.jpg A sketch of a woman’s face decorates the view from my parents' college apartment in Sofia, Bulgaria, toward ubiquitous and poorly maintained Soviet-style blocks, on a street that was then named The Red Rose — this, overlapped with similar Soviet-influenced architecture from the Vedado neighborhood of Havana, Cuba. Statistics label 7 out of every 10 Cuban houses in need of major repairs, with the province surrounding the capital requiring approximately 300,000 more inhabitable properties. Infrastructural decay increased especially after the collapse of Communism and the end of Soviet subsidies to both nations. Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. A sketch of a woman’s face decorates the view from my parents' college apartment in Sofia, Bulgaria, toward ubiquitous and poorly maintained Soviet-style blocks, on a street that was then named The Red Rose — this, overlapped with similar Soviet-influenced architecture from the Vedado neighborhood of Havana, Cuba. Statistics label 7 out of every 10 Cuban houses in need of major repairs, with the province surrounding the capital requiring approximately 300,000 more inhabitable properties. Infrastructural decay increased especially after the collapse of Communism and the end of Soviet subsidies to both nations. Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Paskova_Yana_004.jpg My grandfather (center,) seen walking with Romanian and Bulgarian colleagues in Bulgaria in the 1970s as part of a mandatory work function. The banner in the background reads “Glory to the USSR.” And in Cuba, participants in the First of May Labor Day parade hold posters of Russian Communist leader Vladimir Lenin and German Communist revolutionary Karl Marx. This day, simply labeled Día del Trabajo (Labor Day,) is a call for people of all nations to show support for socialist reform — and in Cuba, for the Cuban Revolution. But in Cuba, as in pre-1989 Bulgaria, while attendance is not mandatory, absences from these marches are frequently noted, discouraged, and often followed with punitive measures (social and professional.) Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. My grandfather (center,) seen walking with Romanian and Bulgarian colleagues in Bulgaria in the 1970s as part of a mandatory work function. The banner in the background reads “Glory to the USSR.” And in Cuba, participants in the First of May Labor Day parade hold posters of Russian Communist leader Vladimir Lenin and German Communist revolutionary Karl Marx. This day, simply labeled Día del Trabajo (Labor Day,) is a call for people of all nations to show support for socialist reform — and in Cuba, for the Cuban Revolution. But in Cuba, as in pre-1989 Bulgaria, while attendance is not mandatory, absences from these marches are frequently noted, discouraged, and often followed with punitive measures (social and professional.) Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Paskova_Yana_005.jpg Propaganda fills the space that lack of advertising leaves on this Havana street: a sign for the Young Communist League, reading "Everything for the Revolution" stretches across a billboard next to the organization's motto "Estudio, Trabajo, Fusil" ("Study, Work, Rifle") and the likes of Cuban revolutionaries Julio Antonio Mella, Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos. While membership to the organization is described as voluntary — and selective, based on a clean record of pro-government only views — belonging to it is highly encouraged for any social and professional success. In the corner is a photo of my father reading a government-controlled newspaper titled “National Youth,” which, like all newspapers in pre-1989 Bulgaria, selectively reported news skewed in tone by Communist propagandist measures. Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. Propaganda fills the space that lack of advertising leaves on this Havana street: a sign for the Young Communist League, reading "Everything for the Revolution" stretches across a billboard next to the organization's motto "Estudio, Trabajo, Fusil" ("Study, Work, Rifle") and the likes of Cuban revolutionaries Julio Antonio Mella, Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos. While membership to the organization is described as voluntary — and selective, based on a clean record of pro-government only views — belonging to it is highly encouraged for any social and professional success. In the corner is a photo of my father reading a government-controlled newspaper titled “National Youth,” which, like all newspapers in pre-1989 Bulgaria, selectively reported news skewed in tone by Communist propagandist measures. Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Paskova_Yana_006.jpg A bakery features a portrait of Cuba president Raúl Castro in the port city of Mariel, Cuba -- and a married couple poses for a picture under a portrait of former Bulgarian Communist dictator Todor Zhivkov. Zhivkov was the Totalitarian head of state of the People's Republic of Bulgaria from March 4, 1954 until the day after the fall of the Berlin Wall, November 10, 1989, when he resigned under political pressure over the country's worsening economy, human rights repression, and public unrest. Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. A bakery features a portrait of Cuba president Raúl Castro in the port city of Mariel, Cuba -- and a married couple poses for a picture under a portrait of former Bulgarian Communist dictator Todor Zhivkov. Zhivkov was the Totalitarian head of state of the People's Republic of Bulgaria from March 4, 1954 until the day after the fall of the Berlin Wall, November 10, 1989, when he resigned under political pressure over the country's worsening economy, human rights repression, and public unrest. Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Paskova_Yana_007.jpg My grandmother (center) and grandfather (second from right) walk alongside coworkers during the annual Labor Day march in Bulgaria in the 1970s. In the color photo, a man marching during during the 1st of May Labor Day March in Havana, Cuba, holds onto a makeshift Chilean flag. This day, simply labeled Día del Trabajo (Labor Day,) is a call for people of all nations to show support for socialist reform — and in Cuba, for the Cuban Revolution. But in Cuba, as in pre-1989 Bulgaria, while attendance is not mandatory, absences from these marches are frequently noted, discouraged, and often followed with punitive measures (social and professional.) Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. My grandmother (center) and grandfather (second from right) walk alongside coworkers during the annual Labor Day march in Bulgaria in the 1970s. In the color photo, a man marching during during the 1st of May Labor Day March in Havana, Cuba, holds onto a makeshift Chilean flag. This day, simply labeled Día del Trabajo (Labor Day,) is a call for people of all nations to show support for socialist reform — and in Cuba, for the Cuban Revolution. But in Cuba, as in pre-1989 Bulgaria, while attendance is not mandatory, absences from these marches are frequently noted, discouraged, and often followed with punitive measures (social and professional.) Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Paskova_Yana_008.jpg Because my grandfather refused to join a political party he'd seen seize villagers' property to repay them with imprisonment, violent threats, and beatings in the name of dementing the Communist ideal, he spent 5 tortured years of his youth locked within the brutality of Bulgaria’s Stalinist forced labor camps of the 1950s. Like many lucky survivors, he relished his post-1989 freedom to speak out against oppression, and in support of building a Democratic government as part of the Bulgarian Agrarian National Union party -- after the fall of the Berlin Wall brought on the dissolution of Communism in the Soviet Bloc. In the Cuban half of this image, a tired participant in a march organized by the wives, friends, and relatives of imprisoned political dissidents rests by a tree in front of Santa Rita Church in Havana, Cuba. The political prisoner rights group, Damas de Blanco -- translated to Ladies in White -- endures regular beatings and detainment by both undercover and uniformed Cuban police of the Communist state. Many of their loved ones still languish, imprisoned -- and yet, they march. In Catholic countries, Saint Rita is known as the patroness of impossible causes, or of heartbroken women. Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. Because my grandfather refused to join a political party he'd seen seize villagers' property to repay them with imprisonment, violent threats, and beatings in the name of dementing the Communist ideal, he spent 5 tortured years of his youth locked within the brutality of Bulgaria’s Stalinist forced labor camps of the 1950s. Like many lucky survivors, he relished his post-1989 freedom to speak out against oppression, and in support of building a Democratic government as part of the Bulgarian Agrarian National Union party -- after the fall of the Berlin Wall brought on the dissolution of Communism in the Soviet Bloc. In the Cuban half of this image, a tired participant in a march organized by the wives, friends, and relatives of imprisoned political dissidents rests by a tree in front of Santa Rita Church in Havana, Cuba. The political prisoner rights group, Damas de Blanco -- translated to Ladies in White -- endures regular beatings and detainment by both undercover and uniformed Cuban police of the Communist state. Many of their loved ones still languish, imprisoned -- and yet, they march. In Catholic countries, Saint Rita is known as the patroness of impossible causes, or of heartbroken women. Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Paskova_Yana_009.jpg Bulgarians' longing to see lands beyond their closed borders festered in a social and economic vacuum during the Communist years. In the corner are a few American dollars on a desk at my parents' college apartment, on a street then bearing the name The Red Rose (a symbol of both the Communist revolution, and Bulgaria’s most famed export.) A Sofia store called Korekom that offered a rare glimpse of Western goods — cosmetics, technology, toys, candy, alcohol, cigarettes and magazines otherwise absent from Bulgaria's isolated market — motivated a strong black market demand for the U.S. dollar. Possession of it without government permission, however, left one open to government investigation, a marked dossier that sharply diminished employment opportunities, and worse, imprisonment in a forced labor camp. The foreground shows a girl in Mariel, Cuba, taking orders in a late-night pizza joint recalling American nostalgia, playing mostly U.S. music from the 1980s and 1990s. Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. Bulgarians' longing to see lands beyond their closed borders festered in a social and economic vacuum during the Communist years. In the corner are a few American dollars on a desk at my parents' college apartment, on a street then bearing the name The Red Rose (a symbol of both the Communist revolution, and Bulgaria’s most famed export.) A Sofia store called Korekom that offered a rare glimpse of Western goods — cosmetics, technology, toys, candy, alcohol, cigarettes and magazines otherwise absent from Bulgaria's isolated market — motivated a strong black market demand for the U.S. dollar. Possession of it without government permission, however, left one open to government investigation, a marked dossier that sharply diminished employment opportunities, and worse, imprisonment in a forced labor camp. The foreground shows a girl in Mariel, Cuba, taking orders in a late-night pizza joint recalling American nostalgia, playing mostly U.S. music from the 1980s and 1990s. Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Paskova_Yana_010.jpg My father, grandfather and grandmother pose for a picture taken while traveling on one of very few government-approved vacations during the isolation of the Communist years in Bulgaria. And Raymel Medina, 16, (center,) relaxes with friends after an evening dip in the water in the port city of Mariel, Cuba. He says he'd like to learn more about the world, but internet of limited and/or prohibitively expensive access makes this a challenge. Travel outside of the island is also forbidden to most, except to those with government connections, or whose jobs allow it. I remember being young and just as curious about the world beyond the vacuum of Bulgaria's tight borders during the Communist years. Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. My father, grandfather and grandmother pose for a picture taken while traveling on one of very few government-approved vacations during the isolation of the Communist years in Bulgaria. And Raymel Medina, 16, (center,) relaxes with friends after an evening dip in the water in the port city of Mariel, Cuba. He says he'd like to learn more about the world, but internet of limited and/or prohibitively expensive access makes this a challenge. Travel outside of the island is also forbidden to most, except to those with government connections, or whose jobs allow it. I remember being young and just as curious about the world beyond the vacuum of Bulgaria's tight borders during the Communist years. Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Paskova_Yana_011.jpg This is the Cuban family (sister, nephews, and 93-year-old mother) of a man who fled from Cuba to Florida during the Mariel Boatlift of 1980. The four have been separated from their uncle, son and brother for 35 years. It is blended with a faraway view of the Brandenburg Gate, as close as you could get from East Berlin before the fall of the Berlin Wall — photographed during one of few vacations my grandparents and father were allowed to take in the Communist years. International travel was limited to pre-approved countries within the Eastern Bloc, while Western nations were only accessible via coveted government approval. The merging of these images speaks to both the need for and trauma of immigration. Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. This is the Cuban family (sister, nephews, and 93-year-old mother) of a man who fled from Cuba to Florida during the Mariel Boatlift of 1980. The four have been separated from their uncle, son and brother for 35 years. It is blended with a faraway view of the Brandenburg Gate, as close as you could get from East Berlin before the fall of the Berlin Wall — photographed during one of few vacations my grandparents and father were allowed to take in the Communist years. International travel was limited to pre-approved countries within the Eastern Bloc, while Western nations were only accessible via coveted government approval. The merging of these images speaks to both the need for and trauma of immigration. Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. https://yanapaskova.com/image-editing-story-concepts 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 https://yanapaskova.com/liquid-rose-gold 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 https://yanapaskova.com/everywhere 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 https://yanapaskova.com/on-red-soil 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/KUSHTI_01.jpg An Indian man who practices traditional Kushti wrestling takes a break by the entrance of the wrestling yard on Monday, June 01, 2009 in New Delhi, India. An Indian man who practices traditional Kushti wrestling takes a break by the entrance of the wrestling yard on Monday, June 01, 2009 in New Delhi, India. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/KUSHTI_02.jpg Indian men who practice traditional Kushti wrestling prepare the soil for the sport on Monday, June 01, 2009 in New Delhi, India. Indian men who practice traditional Kushti wrestling prepare the soil for the sport on Monday, June 01, 2009 in New Delhi, India. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/KUSHTI_03.jpg Rohit Chiller, an Indian man who practices traditional Kushti wrestling, rubs dirt all over himself before starting practice on Monday, June 01, 2009 in New Delhi, India. Rohit Chiller, an Indian man who practices traditional Kushti wrestling, rubs dirt all over himself before starting practice on Monday, June 01, 2009 in New Delhi, India. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/KUSHTI_04.jpg Indian men work out before practicing traditional Kushti wrestling while another prepares the soil for the sport on Monday, June 01, 2009 in New Delhi, India. Indian men work out before practicing traditional Kushti wrestling while another prepares the soil for the sport on Monday, June 01, 2009 in New Delhi, India. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/KUSHTI_05.jpg Indian men who practice traditional Kushti wrestling prepare the soil for the sport on Monday, June 01, 2009 in New Delhi, India. Indian men who practice traditional Kushti wrestling prepare the soil for the sport on Monday, June 01, 2009 in New Delhi, India. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/KUSHTI_06.jpg Indian men practice traditional Kushti wrestling on Monday, June 01, 2009 in New Delhi, India. Indian men practice traditional Kushti wrestling on Monday, June 01, 2009 in New Delhi, India. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/KUSHTI_08.jpg Indian men who practice traditional Kushti wrestling climb rope on Monday, June 01, 2009 in New Delhi, India. Indian men who practice traditional Kushti wrestling climb rope on Monday, June 01, 2009 in New Delhi, India. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/KUSHTI_11.jpg Indian men who practice traditional Kushti wrestling take a break on Monday, June 01, 2009 in New Delhi, India. Indian men who practice traditional Kushti wrestling take a break on Monday, June 01, 2009 in New Delhi, India. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/KUSHTI_12.jpg Indian men who practice traditional Kushti wrestling lift weights on Monday, June 01, 2009 in New Delhi, India. Indian men who practice traditional Kushti wrestling lift weights on Monday, June 01, 2009 in New Delhi, India. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/KUSHTI_13.jpg Rohit Chiller, an Indian man who practices traditional Kushti wrestling, showers after rubbing dirt all over himself during practice on Monday, June 01, 2009 in New Delhi, India. Rohit Chiller, an Indian man who practices traditional Kushti wrestling, showers after rubbing dirt all over himself during practice on Monday, June 01, 2009 in New Delhi, India. https://yanapaskova.com/before-times 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 https://yanapaskova.com/after-times 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 https://yanapaskova.com/city-monochrome 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_001-resized.jpg U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump (R-NY) arrives to Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, FL, on March 11, 2016, where former candidate Ben Carson gave him his endorsement. U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump (R-NY) arrives to Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, FL, on March 11, 2016, where former candidate Ben Carson gave him his endorsement. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_002-resized.jpg U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump (R-NY) departs a ceremony where the World Trade Center towers once stood in Manhattan, on September 11th, 2016, in New York, NY. Yana Paskova for Washington Post U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump (R-NY) departs a ceremony where the World Trade Center towers once stood in Manhattan, on September 11th, 2016, in New York, NY. Yana Paskova for Washington Post https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_003-resized.jpg Stephanie Clifford (adult film name Stormy Daniels) arrives to Federal Court with her lawyer Michael Avenatti (not seen) at the United States District Court Southern District of New York after a hearing related to Michael Cohen, President Trump's longtime personal attorney and confidante, April 16, 2018 in New York City. Cohen and lawyers representing President Trump are asking the court to block Justice Department officials from reading documents and materials related to his Cohen's relationship with President Trump that they believe should be protected by attorney-client privilege. Officials with the FBI, armed with a search warrant, raided Cohen's office and two private residences last week. Photo by: Yana Paskova/Getty Images Stephanie Clifford (adult film name Stormy Daniels) arrives to Federal Court with her lawyer Michael Avenatti (not seen) at the United States District Court Southern District of New York after a hearing related to Michael Cohen, President Trump's longtime personal attorney and confidante, April 16, 2018 in New York City. Cohen and lawyers representing President Trump are asking the court to block Justice Department officials from reading documents and materials related to his Cohen's relationship with President Trump that they believe should be protected by attorney-client privilege. Officials with the FBI, armed with a search warrant, raided Cohen's office and two private residences last week. Photo by: Yana Paskova/Getty Images https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_004-resized.jpg RAIN A man walks by Herbert Von King Park on a rainy day in Brooklyn, NY on July 24, 2017. Yana Paskova for The Wall Street Journal SLUG: RAIN https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_005-resized.jpg Polar Bear Plunge participants run through the frigid waters surrounding Coney Island in Brooklyn, NY on January 01, 2018. Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images Polar Bear Plunge participants run through the frigid waters surrounding Coney Island in Brooklyn, NY on January 01, 2018. Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_006-resized.jpg Bikers line up near the start line of the 41st annual TD Five Boro Bike Tour in Manhattan, NY on May 06, 2018. Yana Paskova for The New York Times Bikers line up near the start line of the 41st annual TD Five Boro Bike Tour in Manhattan, NY on May 06, 2018. Yana Paskova for The New York Times https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_007-resized.jpg Carl Schurz Park, on March 04, 2017. Carl Schurz Park, on March 04, 2017. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_008-resized.jpg Looking through the grass at Ft. Tilden beach on June 18, 2017. Looking through the grass at Ft. Tilden beach on June 18, 2017. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_009-resized.jpg Barricades surround Tiffany & Co. (in reflection) on 5th Avenue's luxury shopping strip near Trump Tower in Manhattan, NY on November 18, 2016. Assignment ID: 30198910A Barricades surround Tiffany & Co. (in reflection) on 5th Avenue's luxury shopping strip near Trump Tower in Manhattan, NY on November 18, 2016. Assignment ID: 30198910A https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_010-resized.jpg Former U.S. President Barack Obama speaks at the Gates Foundation Inaugural Goalkeepers event on September 20, 2017 in New York City. Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images Former U.S. President Barack Obama speaks at the Gates Foundation Inaugural Goalkeepers event on September 20, 2017 in New York City. Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_011-resized.jpg Former U.S. President Barack Obama speaks at the Gates Foundation Inaugural Goalkeepers event on September 20, 2017 in New York City. Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images Former U.S. President Barack Obama speaks at the Gates Foundation Inaugural Goalkeepers event on September 20, 2017 in New York City. Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_012-resized.jpg Former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks to the media after keynoting a Women's Empowerment Event at the United Nations in Manhattan, New York on March 10, 2015. Clinton answered questions about recent allegations of an improperly used email account. Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images Former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks to the media after keynoting a Women's Empowerment Event at the United Nations in Manhattan, New York on March 10, 2015. Clinton answered questions about recent allegations of an improperly used email account. Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_013B-resized.jpg Mayor Bill De Blasio listens to a question during a Green New Deal rally At Trump Tower in New York City on May 13 2019. Mayor de Blasio recently unveiled his Green New Deal to reduce carbon emissions in New York City. (Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images) Mayor Bill De Blasio listens to a question during a Green New Deal rally At Trump Tower in New York City on May 13 2019. Mayor de Blasio recently unveiled his Green New Deal to reduce carbon emissions in New York City. (Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_013-resized.jpg Parishioners visiting from an Ethiopian Coptic church finish prayer at a Coptic Orthodox church on Palm Sunday in Manhattan, NY on April 09, 2017. Two explosions at Coptic churches in Egypt left at least 31 people dead and injured dozens of others. Yana Paskova for The New York Times Parishioners visiting from an Ethiopian Coptic church finish prayer at a Coptic Orthodox church on Palm Sunday in Manhattan, NY on April 09, 2017. Two explosions at Coptic churches in Egypt left at least 31 people dead and injured dozens of others. Yana Paskova for The New York Times https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_014-resized.jpg Thousands of people gather in front of Trump Tower in Manhattan, NY, on August 14, 2017, to protest this weekend's violent white nationalist rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia. Yana Paskova for The Wall Street Journal Thousands of people gather in front of Trump Tower in Manhattan, NY, on August 14, 2017, to protest this weekend's violent white nationalist rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia. Yana Paskova for The Wall Street Journal https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_015-resized.jpg Thousands of people gather in front of Trump Tower in Manhattan, NY, on August 14, 2017, to protest this weekend's violent white nationalist rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia. Yana Paskova for The Wall Street Journal Thousands of people gather in front of Trump Tower in Manhattan, NY, on August 14, 2017, to protest this weekend's violent white nationalist rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia. Yana Paskova for The Wall Street Journal https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_016-resized.jpg Michael Cohen, U.S. President Donald Trump's personal attorney, takes a call near the Loews Regency hotel on Park Ave on April 13, 2018 in New York City. Following FBI raids on his home, office and hotel room, the Department of Justice announced that they are placing him under criminal investigation. Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images Michael Cohen, U.S. President Donald Trump's personal attorney, takes a call near the Loews Regency hotel on Park Ave on April 13, 2018 in New York City. Following FBI raids on his home, office and hotel room, the Department of Justice announced that they are placing him under criminal investigation. Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_017-resized.jpg Conceptual artist Rachel Lee Hovnanian poses for a portrait reflected in the doors of the "Immersion Room," which visitors cannot enter without surrendering their phones, at the Leila Heller Gallery in Manhattan, NY on January 11, 2018. This exhibit, about unplugging from social media and phones, is a part of Hovnanian's The Women's Trilogy Project. Yana Paskova for The New York Times Conceptual artist Rachel Lee Hovnanian poses for a portrait reflected in the doors of the "Immersion Room," which visitors cannot enter without surrendering their phones, at the Leila Heller Gallery in Manhattan, NY on January 11, 2018. This exhibit, about unplugging from social media and phones, is a part of Hovnanian's The Women's Trilogy Project. Yana Paskova for The New York Times https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_018-resized.jpg U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer speaks about gun control on March 25, 2018 in Manhattan, NY. Yana Paskova for The New York Times U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer speaks about gun control on March 25, 2018 in Manhattan, NY. Yana Paskova for The New York Times https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_019-resized.jpg British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson gives a press conference in the Security Council Stakeout area of the United Nations Headquarters after meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon (not seen) on July 22, 2016 in New York City. Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson gives a press conference in the Security Council Stakeout area of the United Nations Headquarters after meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon (not seen) on July 22, 2016 in New York City. Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_020-resized.jpg Participants in the 2018 Women's March move through Manhattan, New York on January 20, 2018. The MeToo movement calls for equality in economic, physical, and mental health for women and draws attention to the widespread nature of discrimination, sexual harassment and assault against women across various vocations and life circumstances. It has gained geographical and cultural traction via women speaking out about their experiences. Participants in the 2018 Women's March move through Manhattan, New York on January 20, 2018. The MeToo movement calls for equality in economic, physical, and mental health for women and draws attention to the widespread nature of discrimination, sexual harassment and assault against women across various vocations and life circumstances. It has gained geographical and cultural traction via women speaking out about their experiences. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_021-resized.jpg The Visions In Motion dance group prepares to march down Eastern Parkway for the West Indian American Day Parade in celebration of the Caribbean Carnival on September 04, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images The Visions In Motion dance group prepares to march down Eastern Parkway for the West Indian American Day Parade in celebration of the Caribbean Carnival on September 04, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_023B-resized.jpg Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, speaks during a town hall event in the Bronx, New York, U.S., on Wednesday, April 17, 2019. Ocasio-Cortez met with veterans and registered nurses and discussed protecting the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system from privatization. Photographer: Yana Paskova/Bloomberg Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, speaks during a town hall event in the Bronx, New York, U.S., on Wednesday, April 17, 2019. Ocasio-Cortez met with veterans and registered nurses and discussed protecting the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system from privatization. Photographer: Yana Paskova/Bloomberg https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_022-resized.jpg Audience members immerse themselves into their phones while a fashion show goes on just in front to the tunes of singer Julee Cruise during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week on September 08, 2016 in New York, NY. Yana Paskova for The New York Times Audience members immerse themselves into their phones while a fashion show goes on just in front to the tunes of singer Julee Cruise during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week on September 08, 2016 in New York, NY. Yana Paskova for The New York Times https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_023-resized.jpg Polar Bear Plunge participants run through the frigid waters surrounding Coney Island in Brooklyn, NY on January 01, 2018. Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images Polar Bear Plunge participants run through the frigid waters surrounding Coney Island in Brooklyn, NY on January 01, 2018. Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_024-resized.jpg Exiting Ft. Tilden beach, on June 18, 2017. Exiting Ft. Tilden beach, on June 18, 2017. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_025-resized.jpg Students listen to their professor speak during a Computer Vision & Scene Analysis class at the NYU Tandon School Of Engineering on October 05, 2017 in Manhattan, NY. Yana Paskova for The New York Times Students listen to their professor speak during a Computer Vision & Scene Analysis class at the NYU Tandon School Of Engineering on October 05, 2017 in Manhattan, NY. Yana Paskova for The New York Times https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_026-resized.jpg Protesters gather in Central Park to voice their opposition to the attempted repeal of DACA by U.S. President Donald Trump, on September 09, 2017 in New York, NY. Photo by Yana Paskova for The New York Times Protesters gather in Central Park to voice their opposition to the attempted repeal of DACA by U.S. President Donald Trump, on September 09, 2017 in New York, NY. Photo by Yana Paskova for The New York Times https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_027-resized.jpg A woman looks through the window of a bus down Eastern Parkway during the West Indian American Day Parade in celebration of the Caribbean Carnival on September 04, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The parade, which draws tens of thousands of costumed celebrants, has been plagued by violence in recent years resulting in new intensive security measures. Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images A woman looks through the window of a bus down Eastern Parkway during the West Indian American Day Parade in celebration of the Caribbean Carnival on September 04, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The parade, which draws tens of thousands of costumed celebrants, has been plagued by violence in recent years resulting in new intensive security measures. 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