“I am Often Intrigued by Stories Behind The Face of a Stranger – A Vague Glimpse of Which, is Often Shared Through a Glowing Eye” ~ Helivi Zhimomi

“I had almost forgotten about this photo.. came across it one day as I was clearing space in my camera. Just looking at the photo gave me so much peace – and my mind wandered to the place and time I took this photo. I vividly remember that moment – a passing moment while impatiently waiting for our cab to get through the toll gate on highway 55.

It was in the evening hours … right before the afterglow; I have a loud ecstatic memory of the sunset glimmering behind as I traversed a straight road with fading music in the background. We stopped at one of the many toll gates on the highway. That’s when I saw this lady selling some local condiment (peanuts?) to people plying that highway. That moment. I took out my camera to capture her . . . with no particular reason. Maybe the same reason why my gallery is flooded with unfamiliar sights, documenting not the loud, but the silent details that catch my thoughts.

When I saw her and her group selling those peanuts, my first thought was “It’s always business on the streets” until our eyes met. We exchanged smiles – meek and unsure, but I went away thinking about how often I get so intrigued by the story behind the face of a stranger – in a different part of the world, and living lives of their own. Like our own. And a vague glimpse of their lives which they share with the onlooker through something as gentle as a glowing eye. ” ~ Helivi Zhimomi