GRANDMA FROM THE CORNER
2021-2022
Grandma From the Corner is a story about an elderly woman who has lived alone for years, without a single relative, in Lany Village (Western Ukraine).
Her closest companions — goats, cats, dogs, and chickens — bring her joy and purpose. Even after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, this 94-year-old grandmother continues to care for them with unwavering dedication.
In a country where millions have been displaced, separated, or killed, she chooses to stay — not out of stubbornness, but out of love. This is a story of strength, loyalty, and sincerity — because not everyone can love animals so deeply, or be their steadfast support in the hardest of times.
Her life reminds us of a deeper truth about Ukraine: that resilience doesn’t always look like protest or battle. Sometimes, it looks like an old woman feeding her animals at dawn, refusing to abandon the small lives that depend on her — no matter the danger.
The grandmother feeds her ducks beside her house on the street in the village of Lany, Western Ukraine, December 2021.
Light from the window falls on the wall and on the icons of the Virgin Mary, Joseph, and Jesus in the kitchen of Ganka’s house, Lany, Western Ukraine, January 2022.
Portrait of the grandmother with her goats in the barn as she brings them food, Lany, Western Ukraine, December 2021.
In the hallway, the grandmother stops by an icon to pray after noticing the light, Lany, Western Ukraine, January 2022.
In a storage room near the stable, where she keeps hay, the grandmother prepares feed for her goats, Lany, Western Ukraine, December 2021.
Three cats sit together on a chair by the table in Ganka’s kitchen, Lany, Western Ukraine, January 2022.
Shelled corn placed by the grandmother in a special spot where she stores it, outdoors in the village of Lany, Western Ukraine, January 2022.
Ganka goes out to the garden to break corn for her animals, Lany, Western Ukraine, December 2021.
The grandmother walks from one garden plot to another toward the barn to store the corn for the next day, Lany, Western Ukraine, December 2021.
The grandmother Ganka holds a small postcard-sized icon in the hallway of her house, turned upside down and not replaced because of her poor eyesight, Lany, Western Ukraine, December 2021.
Portrait of the grandmother Ganka by the window in the kitchen, Lany, Western Ukraine, December 2021.
The grandmother stands outside her house after drawing water from the well, looking down the street to see if anyone is passing by to greet them, Lany, Western Ukraine, January 2022.