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IWM opens photography exhibition on Ukraine war
Photojournalist Anastasia Taylor-Lind has been working in the country since 2014
An exhibition of photographs of the war in Ukraine opens today (3 February) at IWM London, one year on from the escalation of the conflict.
Ukraine: Photographs from the Frontline runs until 8 May and features 17 images taken by Anastasia Taylor-Lind, a photojournalist who has been documenting the conflict since 2014 when Russian forces annexed Crimea before supporting a separatist movement in Donbas. Attempts to reach a settlement failed, and the conflict continued to simmer in Donbas, escalating to outright war when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Taylor-Lind began working in the country earlier in 2014 when she followed protests that centred on the capital city, Kyiv, and led to the removal of a Ukrainian government, which had chosen ties with Russia over an agreement with the European Union.
Taylor-Lind says: “I’m grateful to IWM for giving these photographs a space where they can reach an audience far away from the war.
“I hope they can illuminate the ways, sometimes small and sometimes big, in which Ukrainians continue to live, adapt and build futures, despite violence and instability. IWM has curated years of work into an edit offering a snapshot of the many stories I’ve witnessed that document individual courage and optimism in the face of great challenges.”
The Ukraine: Photographs from the Frontline exhibition includes Ukrainian-language translations of the exhibition text and image captions, which is part of a museum-wide initiative to reach a broader audience and engage directly with the UK’s Ukrainian community.
Greg Brockett, curator of contemporary conflict at IWM, says: “At IWM we understand only too well the tragic and devastating effects of war. Anastasia’s photographs bring into sharp focus the impact of Russia’s war on Ukraine, a conflict which has torn apart the lives of countless individuals. We hope that this exhibition offers a personal and visually arresting perspective on a conflict which has had an enormous impact beyond what we see in the news headlines and online.”
The exhibition comes to London from IWM North in Salford where it was held from 14 October 2022 to 2 January 2023.