At my mum’s birthday party in Tiraspol, my father dances happily with her in his arms. I’ve never seen my parents dance in Germany.

‘светлая память – Helle Erinnerung’ is a photographic exploration of a place that has been familiar to the photographer since his childhood. His grandmother and other family members live in Transnistria, which he visits regularly. The work captures the current state of this politically complex region, shaped by melancholy, social discord, and the ever-present closeness to Russia. Migration is another recurring theme: his parents moved away from Chișinău, and many others are leaving Transnistria in search of a new life in Europe or Russia.

Translated into German, ‘светлая память’ means ‘Helle Erinnerung’ – ‘bright memory’. The expression is used when a loved one passes away. It carries all the beautiful memories that the deceased leaves behind and is often spoken as a gesture of condolence.

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Serghei Duve, born in 1999 in Chișinău, Republic of Moldova, is currently studying Visual Journalism and Documentary Photography at the Hanover University of Applied Sciences and Arts. His work focuses on social documentary, often shaped by personal connections and lived experience. In 2024, he was awarded the Nikon Fotobus Grant for his project ‘светлая память’.