Two and a half years after Russia’s full-scale invasion on Ukraine, images of the war are ingrained in the media and the public conscience. They’re often photographs of suffering, destruction, and the military in action, but there is always more to war than what can be seen on the main pages of news outlets.
To show all faces of war and life in Ukraine, the exhibition Home: Ukrainian Photography, UK Words at Cockburn Street photography gallery Stills presents the works of contemporary Ukrainian photographers. Upon entering, we are faced with images of clothes on plastic chairs among rubble. As we learn, they belong to a volunteer group helping refugees on the Ukrainian-Slovakian border. The fleeing women, children, and the elderly use the provided warm clothes during their last moments in their country. Escaping from Ukraine, they are leaving behind their livelihoods, but also their sons, fathers, and husbands, who have to remain and fight. “I have never seen so much love, as well as I have never seen so much pain,” remarks the artist Elena Subach.
As we move further into the exhibition, we retreat from the border back to the heart of the land. While Ukraine is not only anguish and destruction, this part must not be forgotten. We see how Ukrainians cover their road signs to conceal strategic locations, how Russia unapologetically attacks civilian housing, and how once populated neighbourhoods have become abandoned.
Above all, however, we see the faces of the Ukrainian people who are the present and the future of the country. We look them in the eye and recognise the strength of Ukrainian society, damaged but hopeful, dreaming of peace and freedom. This is the image of Ukraine that we should leave with, remembering the strength and resilience of its people.
Photo provided by Michał Wasilewski