PHOTOGRAPHS offering a glimpse of the everyday lives of people living close to the Russian border in Ukraine have gone on billboards in Shipley.
Pic: Karol Wyszynski
The outdoor exhibition - Open Out: Stand with the People of Ukraine - features large-cale images by award-winning documentary photographer Christopher Nunn, on three prominent billboards at Bradford Road, Shipley.
Pic: Christopher Nunn
Taken between 2015 and 2018, the three photographs reveal daily life of people in the Donbas region, at the far eastern edge of Ukraine. They capture quiet moments, with overlooked, often joyous details. In one image, an elderly woman is taking her cat for a walk in the snow. In another a group of soldiers relax by a river. A third image shows students taking gifts of flowers to their teachers on the last day at school.
Pic: Christopher Nunn
The three photographs have been selected from an exhibition called Borderland: Stories from Donbas which had its UK premiere at Bradford’s Impressions Gallery in 2019. The exhibition, by Christopher Nunn, who has worked in Ukraine since 2013, drew critical acclaim for its thoughtful depiction of people in a country undergoing change.
On view for a few weeks, the billboards offer a rare chance to view these photographs on such a large scale.
Pic: Christopher Nunn
Impressions Gallery, which has organised the exhibition, hopes to draw attention to its campaign to raise funds for Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), through the sale of Borderland: Stories from Donbas, a newspaper co-published in 2019 by Impressions Gallery and Essarter Éditions to coincide with the premiere of the Borderland exhibition.
Pic: Karol Wyszynski
Anne McNeill, Director of Impressions Gallery, says “Russia’s war on Ukraine is having devastating consequences; people and children are being injured or dying.
“Christopher Nunn’s photographs will be seen by thousands on a daily basis, and our hope is that the Stand with the People of Ukraine billboards will encourage people to buy a copy of the newspaper or simply make a donation. A hundred per cent of the money raised is donated to Christopher’s suggested charity, Médecins Sans Frontières. Alternatively we’re asking people to make a donation to a charity of their choice to help alleviate the pain of the war and support the people of Ukraine.”
Pic: Karol Wyszynski
Stand with the People of Ukraine is part of Open Out, a programme of outdoor exhibitions by Impressions Gallery funded by ArtFund, the national art charity helping museums acquire and share artworks. In response to the pandemic, Art Fund has made £2 million available to support museums through re-opening and beyond, including Respond and Reimagine grants to help meet immediate need and develop future ways of working.
Over the course of a year, Impressions is presenting four outdoor capsule exhibitions, four virtual exhibitions and a series of innovative digital events that will provide online experiences for both photographers and the wider public.
Open Out: Stand with the People of Ukraine billboards are in Shipley, at the intersection of Bradford Road (A650) and Otley Road (A6038), and are on display from now until Tuesday, April 12.
All proceeds from sales of Borderland: Stories from Donbas are going to Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders). The newspaper is available to buy at Impressions Gallery, City Park, and at impressions-gallery.com/bookshop
l A NEW film about a young female Ukrainian gymnast forced to train in exile is to have a charity screening at the National Science and Media Museum in support of Ukrainian refugees. The Pictureville Cinema and other cinemas across the UK have united for charity screenings of Olga. From each ticket sold, a donation will be made to support Ukraine via the UNHCR Refugee Agency emergency appeal. The preview screenings are a partnership with 606 Distribution and the BFI.
Olga is the story of a 15-year-old Ukrainian gymnast training for the European Championship in preparation for the Olympics, forced to move to Switzerland from her home in Kyiv where her mother works as a journalist reporting on the Euromaidan protests. Lead actress Anastasiia Budiashkina, a former member of Ukraine’s gymnastics team, arrived in Poland last week after fleeing her home in Kharkiv, Ukraine. She said: “I am very glad that Olga will be seen in the UK, and people will see the situation going on with Ukraine.”
Pat Kelman, Director of 606 Distribution, said: “I planned to release Olga in late spring, but the invasion of Ukraine made me very nervous about releasing the film at all. When Watershed Cinema Curator Mark Cosgrove mentioned that venues were looking for a way to show support for Ukrainians, I realised that this very human film set against the Ukraine 2013 Maidan Revolution could now connect with UK audiences in a meaningful way.”
Jason Wood, Director of Public Programmes at the BFI, says: “I’m really proud that the UK’s film exhibition and distribution community and the BFI have come together to bring Olga to as many UK cinemas as possible, giving us a perspective on Ukrainian life, telling a Ukrainian story and actively supporting the people of Ukraine.”
Olga is at Pictureville Cinema tomorrow at 7.30pm. See scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk
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