Art / exhibition
‘Urgent’ exhibition showcases the plight of war-struck Ukraine
Devastation across war-struck Ukraine, as documented by numerous photographers, will be seen at the M Shed in a special exhibition organised by by the charity Ukraine Aid and Welfare and the countries embassies in the UK and Northern Ireland.
Starting Saturday, The Erased from the Face of the Earth, will showcase heart-wrenching montages of the transformation of once thriving towns into grieving gravel.
The exhibition is organised by charity Ukraine Aid and Welfare with support of the Embassy of Ukraine in the UK and Northern Ireland, with work being sourced from well-known military photographers, press services and photo correspondents of the Ukrainian media – all showcasing the brutal destruction in cities and villages across the war-ridden country.
Following the overnight events in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv on Thursday, Antonina Grebeniuk, founder of Ukraine Aid and Welfare commented: “This exhibition feels more relevant and urgent than ever.
The exhibition was initiated by Antonina Grebeniuk (right), the founder of Ukraine Aid and Welfare – photo: Ellie Hastie
She continued: “The world needs to see, it’s really important the world see’s the crimes.
“The cities have been turned into cemeteries, erased from the face of the earth just like the name of the exhibition states.”
When asked if any photos personally stand out to her the most, Grebeniuk replied:”The tactic was the same for every city and village, the whole point is that they’re fully destroyed, no infrastructure, no schools, any sport halls, museums, no hospitals, it’s called a scorch-earth tactic.”
Karen MacDonald, head of public engagement at Bristol Creatives Industries commented: “It was really inspiring to hear the passion for supporting Ukraine and all the work Antonina and many other Ukrainains in Bristol have done to keep the flame alive.
“I was extremely moved by it and the photographs really bring it home, it gives a completely different perspective than you get on the news.”
Antonina hoped that this exhibition would accelerate national buzz and soon move to other cities across the UK.
The exhibition runs till July 21 with free entry and no booking required.
All photos: Ellie Hastie
Read Next:
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
