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Iryna

@gorbira

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Zenit E 1979
Pentax Spotmatic

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hey friends! i’d love to invite you all to the debut of my art show “Don’t Forget About Us” this coming Saturday, 17th of October, at Abacus Row.

displayed will be the illustrations i made during my seven weeks inside Cal City Detention. i will present the show and hold Q&A about my experience between 1 and 4pm on Saturday.

donations will be accepted for the detainees at Cal City to help them with phone bills, commissary, lawyers’ consultations and other immigration fees.

this show is a part of a rotating exhibit that will be taking place around Bay Area throughout the next few months. the urgency is obvious if you’re keeping up with the current state of this country and California in particular. any amount of funds donated is vital and greatly appreciated!

and lastly, since my birthday was on 17th of September, debuting the show exactly a month from it seems extra special. if you ever wanted to get me a gift - please make a contribution towards the fundraiser for my girls.

love you all! see you Saturday! taken in San Francisco, California by @gorbira

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2 days ago

September 16th
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So many amazing people to thank for this fundraiser. So much gratitude for all the love and support. So many happy tears…
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@aeblin and @ohnodonna I’m so thankful to you guys for all your help throughout those seven weeks and after, and for organizing this event. @hedgecoffee thank you guys for hosting; and separate thank you to @olgasobal for your immediate reaction to my sister’s message in the middle of the night. Thank you to @sfpostersyndicate, those prints are incredible. @thecitizenten thank you for the tunes. Special thank you to the businesses that donated to the fundraiser: @abacusrow @kope.house @weberworkshops @greensrestaurant @clementina_sf @outerlands and many others. Thank you @kuyalicious for these photos, they’re so special and beautiful. A huge thank you to @ukrainiansolidarityfront for your support. Thank you @dannysauterd3 for stopping by the fundraiser and engaging in a lovely conversation with me. And of course thank you to everyone who showed up, participated in the auction, hugged me. I’m truly and deeply touched by this amazing community.
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Raised funds were donated to the families of the women from my unit at Cal City Detention facility to help them with legal representation, phone fees, commissary and other related expenses. They’re immensely grateful for all your support! taken in Hedge Coffee by @gorbira

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10 days ago

🌴
I was released exactly three weeks ago. My friend Kate was flying from Ohio that day, she scheduled a visit with me for Saturday at Cal City Detention Facility. Instead, she drove straight from the airport to Bakersfield and picked me up.
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Duration of my “processing” was seventeen hours - from 11pm on Thursday when the guards unexpectedly unlocked the door to my cell and said “pack your stuff” till 4pm on Friday when i walked out the doors of the second Processing Center with a monitor attached to my ankle. At that moment i didn’t know what i was feeling… hunger, fatigue… my brain said - you should feel happy, but truthfully i was numb inside…
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We spent Saturday in Santa Monica. I took it slow and easy but everything still felt surreal and overwhelming - seeing dogs and petting them, eating fresh raspberries and a cucumber, being outside all day and hearing the ocean, wearing my clothes, earrings, bracelet, having a phone and remembering to use it, sleeping in the room by myself with the lights off…
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On Sunday my friend Andy drove me home to San Francisco. On Monday i had my first 🧊 appointment. taken in Santa Monica, California by @gorbira

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15 days ago

Hey friends! It’s me, Iryna. I want to tell you all how grateful I am for the help, support and compassion you have shown for me in the last 7 weeks. I wouldn’t be home now if not for all of you.

With a tremendous effort of my friends and the funds that were raised by oh so many people [friends and strangers] I have been released from ICE detention. Even though it was an essential step - the main battle is only ahead. My immigration court is coming up and that will determine whether I am staying in this country or not. I greatly appreciate your ongoing support since I’ll be needing even more of it moving forward.

I would also not be home if not for the most profound and genuine support of the beautiful community of women on the inside. There were so many moments when I was ready to give up, but my girls didn’t let me! On a daily basis we kept each other going, shared conversations, meals and hope, reminded one another of the strength we have inside. I care for them deeply, and I made a promise that I would not forget about them. I will continue sharing my personal funds with them because too many don’t have enough resources or community to support them and are left alone in this unfair battle. Unfortunately the flawed immigration system of this country does not allow simple affordable comprehensive path for asylum seekers.

Lastly, there’s layers upon layers of trauma that I’m left to deal with - and that’s an even longer process [i was detained for 7 weeks]. I appreciate your kindness and ask to give me some grace and space while I’m adjusting to a new old life.

Love you all! by @gorbira

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226

a month ago

sometimes all we have left of our past is just the memories. and all we have now is here.

reminding myself that life is not future plans or analysis of the past, it’s not even what happened yesterday or the schedule for an upcoming week. it’s only the present moment, and to live it fully we need to feel it, be in it [not in our heads].

reminding myself to accept and enjoy where i am now. with time some things fall apart, and that’s ok. we pick up pieces and build new things, new relationships, new homes, new lives.

ps: view from the window of my home in Northern Saltivka neighborhood of Kharkiv. the view is no longer the same, half of those buildings are now rubble. because further out there beyond the horizon is the border with r… taken in Saltivka, Kharkiv by @gorbira

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3 months ago

favorite spring moments captured in film 🎞️
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from the warmest March in Bay Area history that i spent on the beach, to some of the most delicious meals in Vegas, Oakland, New York and back home in San Francisco. from all the numerous pets i babysat to all the fun hang-outs with friends at restaurants, theaters and bars. what an incredible spring it actually was.
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first photo @alisonluntz by @gorbira

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4 months ago

at home

no plans, no pressure… slowing down, breathing, re-aligning my life with my current mental and physical state. i’m intentionally stopping my preparation for the year, and taking it from here - as it is, slightly unbalanced, not quite complete, a bit raw. i’ve put a bit more time and energy into the “start” than i should have and ended up crashing [physically and mentally]. until summer solstice i’m taking a break - to properly rest and recharge.

expired #35mm #Kodak 200
#Pentax Zoom 90-WR
developed/scanned @underdogfilmlab taken in Nob Hill, San Francisco by @gorbira

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4 months ago

one of the most incredible experiences in New York was Friday dinner at @atelierjolieofficial with chef in residence @akwasibrenyamensa and guest chef @natashapickowicz in a company of the most fun and interesting strangers. we all enjoyed delicious eclectic meal, engaging conversations and lots of laughs. it was two weeks ago yet i’m still so touched and inspired by the evening that i’m starting to plan my own [smaller of course] dinner series at my place!
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May 2026
Manhattan, NY
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35mm Kodak Ultra Max 400
Pentax Zoom 90-WR taken in Bowery Street by @gorbira

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4 months ago

“stranger than you dreamt it” 🎭 @masqueradenyc
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the more i think back about the experience, the more i want to go back and feel it again. at first i was greatly overwhelmed, a bit confused, then inspired and left craving more…
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May 2026
Midtown West, NY
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35mm Fujifilm 200
Pentax Zoom 90-WR taken in Masquerade New York by @gorbira

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5 months ago

when i had one plan and life had a different one.
here’s the fun three days in New York before i got sick.
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May 2026
Brooklyn & Manhattan
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Fujifilm 200, Kodak Ultra Max 400, Cinestill 800
Pentax Zoom 90-WR taken in New York City by @gorbira

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5 months ago

it was a perfect day [in every way truly] to
“lock this shit up” 💍
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San Francisco, CA
May 2026
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35mm Fujifilm Fujicolor 400 & 200
35mm CineStill 800T

Zenit E 1979 / Helios-44-2 2/58
Pentax Zoom 90-WR taken in San Francisco, California by @gorbira

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5 months ago

35mm Fujifilm Fujicolor 200
Pentax Zoom 90-WR
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Vegas sort of happens to me, it’s never my choice. I just end up there. This time though it occurred to me that each of those trips marked a completely different chapter of my life.

First one was a drunken blur during my college days in Boston. My work friends were visiting their homies in LA and i joined them last minute; eventually it turned into an additional two-day trip to Vegas, a day in San Diego and an overnight in San Clemente. Back then i frozen-margarita-ed my way through Vegas, danced all night in clubs and cured my hang over with In’N’Out. Just as lost and confused as i was on that trip - exact same way i felt in my actual life. Yet returning from that trip helped me make a decision to quit my Starbucks job and focus more on photography.

Second trip was suppose to be a short tour for a friend of a friend’s husband from Europe [whom i never met] - he turned out to be a very rude and disrespectful man so i abandoned him at the airport in LA [i was kind enough to help him get a return ticket to Europe earlier] and took a bus to Vegas alone. This took place in spring of 2014 while i was stuck in Indiana after my plans to return home were crashed by war. Yet again i was very lost in life. But while i sat at a bar in Cosmopolitan, read a book and had dinner before my flight to New York, i made up my mind to move back to the East Coast and restart my life.

Third visit was an escape from a very cold San Francisco summer. I had just moved in with my [now ex] boyfriend and his three-year-old daughter. Foggy weather was lingering into the end of August and combined with a big life change [my first and LAST time living with a partner] - i was getting depressed - so i randomly suggested to go [and planned the whole trip] to Vegas for a couple of days. Main plan was to warm up and relax a bit, just the two of us. We stayed at lovely Encore, weather was warm. Yet the whole time his behavior was childish, passive aggressive and borderline rude, for then what seemed like absolutely no reason. And once again i felt very lost and started doubting my whole move to California… taken in Las Vegas, Nevada by @gorbira

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5 months ago