Rena Effendi. Melanargia larissa.
Melanargia larissa, the Balkan marbled white, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found from south-eastern Europe and Asia Minor to Transcaucasia and north-western Iran. It is the most common butterfly species, of which I've observed in abundance in Nakhchivan during my quest for Satyrus effendi, which kept evading me year after year.
Rena Effendi is an award-winning documentary photographer and author of two monographs “Pipe Dreams: A Chronicle of Lives along the Pipeline” and “Liquid Land”. Her photography has been described as having a deep sense of empathy with a quiet celebration of the strength of the human spirit. She is the laureate of the Prince Claus Fund award and has been shortlisted for the prestigious Prix Pictet award in Photography and Sustainability. She spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos and is a member of its Cultural Leadership network. Effendi’s work has been exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Saatchi Gallery, Istanbul Modern, Venice Biennial and NYC MOMA. Rena Effendi is a frequent contributor to the National Geographic Magazine and has worked on commissions for the New Yorker, Time, The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times Magazine, Monocle, The Sunday Times and many others.
Follow Rena on Instagram @renaeffendiphoto.
