Pola Rader

Icon and Mirror | Russian Orthodox Christians is sceptical about feminism. In the world of Orthodoxy women still play a clearly defined role. Today the own tradition requires from the Orthodox women a critical reflection. Orthodoxy requires a woman to be humble and this humility is reflected in all areas of life. I think that this is a cornerstone in the image of an orthodox woman, a source of her power and her Achilles heel at the same time. 

These ideas were the starting point in my project “Icon and mirror”. I decided to meet different orthodox female activists and active churchgoers, to talk to them, to have a look into their lives and to see how they feel about their position in the church today. 

For me, the values brought by Christ have been always more of the female nature. Softness, mercy, love, forgiveness, healing, caregiving are typical female qualities to me. I think that Russian religiosity has shifted the focus of attention from Christ to the Virgin, making her the one to embody these best Christian virtues.  Working on “Icon and mirror” I was especially interested in a huge gap between an idol made of a woman in the form of the Virgin and real treatment of a real woman. 

The protagonists of this project are active churchgoers, but not feminist activists. They live out the role of the Orthodox woman and shine in their own shadow. The highly respected spiritual qualities and values of the Mother of God are lived on by the Orthodox women: not to be proud and to have humility, to endure the sufferings patiently.  polarader.com