Vladyslav Krasnoshchok: Documentation of War

Today marks a year since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. We show Vladyslav Krasnoshchok's documentation of the war in his hometown Kharkiv (just 40 km from the border) and other regions affected by the war. There will be not regular reflection on the work on our part except the key message: We stand unrestricted with the people of Ukraine in their fight for life, freedom and independence. Please, mind that viewer discretion is advised: this gallery contains scenes of violence.
But this is how the war looks like.

"Fuck you, Russia"

"People"

The series was started after the beginning of the blatant military attack on Ukraine by Russia. Kharkiv, the second biggest city in the country, and my hometown, is under daily shelling. Since spring I have been photographing it and travelling to other regions of Ukraine particularly affected by the war, like Bucha, Irpin, Borodyanka, and Izium, to document the new reality with its rapid and brutal changes.

Ukraine today is a gravity spot for photojournalists from all over the world. Like many of my colleagues, I also felt the urge to capture the flow of events after February 24th, but I was dissatisfied with traditional reportage. In contrast to their constructed “veracity” and focus on momentum, I want to create subjective images. That is why I’m using analogue photography, mostly lith print, which is more unpredictable and tactile, thus conveying a more personal touch. The old Soviet photo paper and homemade lith developer enhance the materiality of the prints, distinguishing them from the monotonous, colourful flow of digital imagery that has flooded mass media. The analogue technique allows one to stop chasing ghostly "quality" and "velocity," freeing the room for personal reflection.

War adds nostalgic weight to every shoot since you never know when you can get the news that the person in the photographs was killed. You also give up on the habit of procrastinating with developing films, as you cannot be sure if you have a chance to do that later. Since the very beginning of working on the project, I image the war chronicle as a photo book, divide into sorts of “chapters”: ruins, military technique, corpses of occupants, war prisoners, artillery, the daily life of warriors and of civilians, animals etc. Each of them is a part of my own story, closely intertwined with the stories of the whole country.

Vladyslav Krasnoshchok (1980, Kharkiv, Ukraine) — Kharkiv artist. Studied at the Department of Dentistry at Kharkiv Medical University in 1997-2002. In 2004-2018 worked at the Kharkiv state clinical hospital of emergency aid. Has been actively practicing photography since 2008. Has been actively practicing photography since 2008. A participant of the Shilo group since 2010 (together with Sergiy Lebedynskyy, Vadim Trykoz and Oleksiy Sobolev). Apart from documentary photography, which is aesthetically transformed using different technical manipulations, he also usesanonymous archives and hand-colouring, methods that evolved in Kharkiv photography in the late 1970s. Combines shots with sculptural objects, and experiments with graphic art, engraving and street art.

All images are from the collection of MOKSOP, Museum of Kharkiv School of Photography. where you could find the full series Documentation of War.

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