Yola Monakhov was born in Russia .She studied comparative literature and Italian at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and has a master’s degree in Italian literature from Columbia University. As a photojournalist, Yola Monakhov photographed in Kosovo, Iran, Afghanistan, the Middle East and the former Soviet Union while on assignment for publications including the New Yorker, New York Times, Newsweek, and other American and European magazines. In the past few years , having turned her attention to fine art photography , Monakhov has often returned to her native city of Moscow to photograph post-Soviet life . She graduated in 2007 with an MFA from Columbia University ‘s School of Art. Currently she teaches photography at Columbia University and Mercer College and is a contributing photographer for the New Yorker magazine. She has exhibited in the United States and Russia.