"In the first part of my journey [for The Atlas of Beauty] I went from Romania to Japan only by land and sea. This way I was able to observe, step-by-step, country-by-country, the changes of the female physiognomies around me. This is Agate, a young Latvian from Riga."
"[This woman] was walking around a temple monastery with her mother. It's a thing the Tibetans do. They walk around the temple before they enter. I think she was quite surprised when I told her she was beautiful, and I think that surprise is what shows in her face. You know what I have learned? People don't think they are beautiful. But they are. You wear your story on your face, and that is part of who we are. I am looking for the stories behind that beauty, and the lives my subjects have lived."
"Maybe in 50 years all women from all around the world will dress and act the same. I hope my project will remain a witness to my era's cultures and traditions... [This woman] is a market seller in Uzbekistan."
"In Myanmar I met the most serene and generous people. Maybe it comes from Buddhism, or maybe it's the peace that everyone enjoys now after many long years of dictatorship and violent conflict. I tried to bring out this gentle atmosphere, photographing Yu Kyi in one of the most important Buddhist temples in the world."
