Back to Life

• Photographer
  Diana Burdein
• Photo Date
  April 2025

I began this project with my first chemotherapy in December 2024. During treatment, I created many self-portraits that helped me stay moving and feel alive. However, most of the images reflected sadness and pain. I realized that I did not want suffering to be the central theme of my work. Instead, I was searching for strength, acceptance, and resilience. After four months, when I had lost all my hair, I started to photograph portraits of women from middle age. Portraits appeared beautiful, powerful, and courageous, even while carrying traces of loneliness, stress, and vulnerability.