'Humanistic photography in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, like elsewhere in the world, reflects the joys and concerns of humanity. However, in our region, Soviet ideology demanded an embellished image of workers and collective farm paradises from artists. Therefore, the practice of humanistic photography in the Baltic States represented a constant struggle for freedom of expression, identity, and memory. This struggle determined the selection of photographs for the exhibition and catalogue, including critical, ironic deviations and examples of the genre of nudes, which were negated during the Soviet era.'

– Agnė Narušytė, head curator of the exhibition