"Born in 1979 in the Soviet Union, I witnessed the collapse of the Soviet empire, times of great chaos, war, a couple of years of shady liberation and a country turning back into an autocratic regime. I was an acclaimed artist and successful. But the regime became more and more controlling, and eventually they also reached out for the art scene. I saw my colleagues being tamed, ending up like declawed cats that won’t spoil the new propaganda’s tasteless sofas. Being married to an activist in a way saved me from falling into this trap. But it also caused a lot of trouble, and we had to move to Germany. My brother was jailed with fake charges to put pressure on me and to urge my husband to quit his activities. My brother is free now, but he has not spoken to me since. Sometimes I skype with my parents, but they are afraid, because they know that we are under surveillance. So we just look at each other and they wave at their little grandchild, my daughter."

Tora Aghabayova is from Baku, Azerbaijan. She is a painter whose works have been shown at the 52nd Venice Biennale, in Moscow, Berlin, London, Paris, Basel, and Tiblisi. Since January 2015 she has lived in Berlin together with her daughter. At the time the portrait was taken she was 36 years old.