As a child growing up in Kyiv, Yelena Yemchuk was fascinated by the reputation of Odesa as a free place during Soviet times. The city seemed full of contradictions — 'acceptance but also danger. A place of jokes and characters, populated by outlaws and intellectuals.' She first visited Odesa in 2003 and returned in 2015 to begin to photograph the city and its inhabitants over a period of four years. This book is Yemchuk’s visual ode to the city.
