Inside the Bags and Minds of Berlin Women
The project, which Sergei began in 2017 in his home town of St Petersburg – inspired by a child’s curiosity about his mother’s handbag – continued in 2025 in the diverse and vibrant city of Berlin; an ideal setting for his ‘search for traces of handbags’.
Image gallery
Sergei Stroitelev – What she carries (2)
Sergei Stroitelev – What she carries (3)
Sergei Stroitelev – What she carries (4)
Sergei Stroitelev – What she carries (5)
Sergei Stroitelev – What she carries (1)
Over the course of the past year, Sergei has photographed more than 100 women from a wide variety of backgrounds and social circles – ranging from a woman struggling with drug addiction on the streets to a gallery owner. In this way, the project offers a striking portrait of life in a modern metropolis, with all its joys and challenges.
Additional information
"What She Carries: Inside the Bags and Minds of Berlin Women"
A long term project by Sergei Stroitelev dedicated to the identities of Berlin women explored through their personal belongings and touching stories.
The project, which Sergei began to shoot in 2017 in his hometown of St. Petersburg - inspired by his childhood curiosity about his mother’s handbag - was continued in diverse and vibrant Berlin in 2025 which became the perfect place for his bag hunting.
"Women’s handbags have always been a mystery to me. As a kid, I was convinced that my mom had to carry around all sorts of magical items, plus a couple of bricks in case she needed to save the world. As a grown man, I can’t say I find purses any less puzzling. So, driven purely by curiosity, I decided to ask some women I know, as well as a few strangers I bumped into on the streets, to let me photograph the contents of their bags. I also asked these women to let me snap their ID photos. I feel that the combination of each portrait and the subject’s personal items gives a striking impression of who these women are. For me, this project is something of an obsession. Whenever I walk down the street, I find myself wondering what a particular woman is carrying in her bag. That childlike curiosity is what drives me to keep shooting. After numerous shoots, I realized that I see a powerful heroine in every woman - someone whose story deserves to be heard - even though some women insist, "My things are the most boring in the world, and there’s nothing special about me!" In my compositions, I try to conjure magic from everyday objects and convey the idea that every woman is unique in her own way. Even the smallest items or scraps of trash are given their rightful place, as they are also essential parts of the portrait," Sergei Says.
Over the past year, Sergey has photographed more than 100 heroines from diverse backgrounds and social circles - ranging from a woman struggling with drug addiction on the streets to a gallery owner. Thus, the project serves as an excellent portrait of life in a modern big city, with all its joys and difficulties, сonsumer patterns and everyday habits that unite people living within the same urban space.
