For this project, I chose to photograph older women — grandmothers from the village — because I have felt drawn to them for years, both in photography and in life. They have a quietness, depth, and presence, as well as a wisdom that comes from the lives they’ve lived.

My own grandmother passed away when I was eight, and ever since, I’ve had a grandmother-shaped void in my life. Perhaps I’ve been searching for her in others through their gaze, hands, wrinkles, softness, and strength.

Beyond the personal, I find a beauty in them that often goes unseen in a youth-worshipping world. The traces of time on their faces and bodies, the marks of the years they’ve lived, move me more than any conventional standard of beauty. Through photography, I want to shine a light on that beauty, give it space and respect, and truly see it without filters.