Yana Kasa
PhotographyEditorial
Blood Doesn’t Get Cold
Candid
Blood Doesn’t Get Cold
This documentary photography project captures the unique cultural identity of the Gagauz people in the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia, a region in southern Moldova. Through my lens, I explore traditional Gagauz symbols and expressions, each one a testament to their resilience and cultural pride. As a Turkic ethnic group in Eastern Europe, the Gagauz have navigated complex cultural influences, maintaining their language and traditions despite not having a written language until the 19th century. Instead, they preserved their identity through folklore, oral history, and symbols—patterns woven into clothing, carved into wood, and embroidered into textiles.