Growing Up with Michal Chelbin
Michal Chelbin was born, raised, and educated in Haifa, Israel. In this photograph, entitled “Alicai, Ukraine, 2005,” Chelbin captures the backward glance of a girl being driven away. The composition of the light plays into the narrative of the photograph, illuminating the child in direct contrast to the shadowy driver. Who the man is and where he is taking the girl is unknown – only a deviously strewn darkness suggests his casting as the villain. The girl sits next to the window, an image of innocence. “I’m not ready to leave,” we can imagine her whispering.
What strikes the viewer most powerfully may be the apparent disconnection between driver and passenger—not antagonistic but existing in parallel universes despite their physical proximity. The driver looks ahead, focused on the destination or perhaps just the immediate demands of the road. The girl’s focus has diverged; she has already begun the psychological journey of finding her own perspective.
This visual separation captures the essential paradox of growing up: we are shaped profoundly by those who transport us through childhood, yet our ultimate direction will be determined by moments of divergence from their path. We inherit vehicles of thought and emotion from our caregivers but must eventually choose which to drive and which to leave behind. The peculiar angle of the image and direct visual contact with the girl also suggests that the onlooker is a key subject. It is us who the girl in the image is not ready to leave. Whereas we can revel in admiration of this image, content to halt time, the girl cannot. She jealously realizes that while we may live in this moment forever, she has no choice but to drive off to her future.
What do you think of this image?
Interestingly, your comment about the onlooker being a vital protagonist of the piece really resonated with me. Her Mona-Lisa-stare, following the viewer to any angle, certainly alludes to the sense of participation on the observer’s end. Nicely done.