Intro
My name is Yelyzaveta, Liza [lee-zah] to my friends.
I am Ukrainian. I moved away from home because of the well-known Russian-Ukrainian war, which is still ongoing.
These photographs were taken before the full-scale invasion and during it.
You will see my home village now located 85 km from the front line, about a two-hour drive away.
For me, this exhibition is about self-reflection and about beginning something new without forgetting my past.
Many of these works were taken in 2020–2022 - the first years of me holding a camera.
Back then, I was brave enough to try everything. I photographed what and who I loved, with a huge teenage dream of becoming a world-famous photographer - someone who captures stories of people in different countries.
On February 24, 2022, that dream was interrupted.
Reality shifted into survival.
An abyss appeared between me and my people, my home, and the eastern fields of Dnipro region that I love the most.
Despite everything that has happened, I am still a photographer.
However, I feel that parts of me are lost and will never fully return.
War does not only turn your life 180 degrees — it reshapes your personality as well.
Grief has filled our hearts deeply.
All that many Ukrainians have right now are memories of peaceful times.
I love remembering them. But at the same time, it is painful — because that peaceful time will never come back.
We are different now.
We are fighting. We are losing, every day.
But we know what we are fighting for - the freedom of centuries.
I’ve moved to different countries a couple of times. Each one had a different language.
And every time, I faced the same expression, that slight confusion, that look that says my accent is wrong, that I don’t sound English enough, or Slovak enough.
Photography became the language I speak best.
Thank you for reading, thank you for being here and seeing the work of 17-year-old Liza.