Major photography exhibition highlights war in Ukraine

The photographs document the conflict during the first year-and-a-half of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and seek to illustrate, alongside the horror of the war, the bravery of the Ukrainian people in the face of death and destruction.

University Librarian Karen Lloyd said: “We are honoured to host this exhibition of photographs taken by a group of internationally renowned Ukrainian and international photographers on the ground in the conflict areas.”

The display is based on a larger exhibition by the University of Hull and one of the sponsors Dame Diana Johnson MP, described it as “a very powerful reminder of the human cost of this war”.

It features the work of Ukrainian and international prize-winning photographers, including Evgen Maloletka (two Pulitzer Prizes and Guardian Photographer of the year, 2023), Sergiy Korovainy (James Foley Award for Conflict Coverage 2022), Dmytro Kozatsky (The Prix de Photographie Paris 2022), and Rodrigo Abd (Pulitzer Prizes 2013, 2023).

The photographs feature the devastation of the Russian occupation of Mariupol and the resistance of the defenders of the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works, as well as the ruins of Mariupol University; the battle for Bakhmut; the tragic impact of the environmental catastrophe following Russia's destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in June 2023; as well as memorable portraits of Ukrainian soldiers, doctors, and firefighters.

The project of bringing the exhibition to the Commons was led by Chris Awre, the University of Hull Librarian, and the exhibition has been curated by John Bernasconi, Director of the University of Hull Art Collection, in close cooperation with Olena Hatton, a Ukrainian writer and journalist, and an extensive team from both inside and outside the University.

To visit the exhibition, go to the cafe area of the Learning Resource Centre at University of Chichester. Entry is free but donations are welcome.

Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation, the biggest and most trusted charity organisation in Ukraine, is one of the partners of the exhibition. All donations collected during the exhibitions in the UK will be sent to this Foundation for humanitarian assistance to residents of the de-occupied regions of Ukraine.