Witness: War in Ukraine
© Father Guennadi Rokhmaniyko
About This Exhibition:
Some call it a civil war: separatist rebels versus Ukrainian nationalists, thus proving the efficacy of Russian propaganda. The truth is, military action in the East was instigated by Russia. It started after Russia annexed Crimea in March 2014—as a diversion maneuver and an attempt to occupy most of Eastern Ukraine where people mainly speak Russian and therefore, according to Russia's ideologists, must be protected from the rest of Ukraine. It was not improvised; rather, evidence suggests that it was thoroughly premeditated. In the spring of 2014, Russia armed and organized the rebels, put them on payroll, and provided instructors to command them. Later on, Russian nationals—as both "soldiers of fortune" and masquerading regular Russian troops—strengthened the rebel mercenaries. Thus, on the front line, there is no disguising of the fact, this is war.
The Pisky village near Donetsk is on the front line of war – the war in Eastern Ukraine, where Ukrainians are holding back separatist guerillas and Russian Special Forces troops.
Even though September was a ceasefire period, small arms and grenade guns were shot at Ukrainian positions every night. Father Guennadi jokes that his pastoral duties alternated with those of a psychologist and a cook, but apparently he fails to mention another one – a war correspondent. (Image left: © Father Guennadi Rokhmaniyko)
It is probably Rokhmaniyko's past educational and professional background as an architect that are responsible for the compositional finesse of his smartphone images that depict the mundane war tragedies: ruined by artillery shells churches, houses and public buildings, abandoned homes and wrecked lives.
© Igor Manko, Curator
On VASA Exhibitions:
VASA Exhibitions over the years have provided a platform for individual and group exhibitions, collaborative exhibitions with various organizations and galleries and exhibitions that follow a particular theme or inquiry such as “Where Do We Go Now” curated by Rui Cepeda and the “Kharkiv School of Photography: Soviet Censorship to New Aesthetics” curated by Igor Manko.
VASA Exhibitions are international and multicultural. The curatorial team has strived to present work that not only represents the photographers but also the social, historical and cultural. As an online international project, VASA works to engage various digital tools. Video, as an example, not only offers the potential for the presentation of works, it provides the opportunity and framework for the voice of the author to be seen and heard. Through image, text, sound and animation, VASA works to expand the exhibition paradigm and provide a rich experience for the viewer (as well as the author) because we can.
VASA Exhibitions provides a viewing and research environment by archiving all of the exhibitions in their entirety. For example, the viewer may view a 2009 exhibition as it was presented and not just traces of its existence.
VASA Exhibitions includes video and video series, and sound works.