Born in Ukraine, visual artist Yelena Yemchuk immigrated with her family to the United States when she was 11. She thought she would never see her homeland again, but Ukrainian independence meant she could return a decade later. She has since made frequent pilgrimages back to Ukraine to document her country. In Violet 17 she talks with her friend, writer and fellow photographer Ira Lupu, about her new photobook Odesa: a love letter to her ‘enchanted city’ – which is currently under siege. Now on Violet-book.com and in print in issue 17.