Photos that make you feel: Photo Exhibition Invincible by Ukrainian photographer Anastasiia Zaruba opened in Essen

On April 27th, in the city of Essen, an exhibition by Ukrainian photographer Anastasiia Zaruba opened its doors. The pictures are dedicated to the Ukrainian team of former and current servicemen who, after rehabilitation, participated in the international competition "Invictus Games 2023" in Düsseldorf. The photographer named her exhibition "Invincible". Learn more about the origins of the exhibition, its participants, and the atmosphere at the grand opening on Drive Music Media.

The grand opening of the photo exhibition "Invincible" begins with the musical accompaniment of the instrumental group Musica dal vivo. The atmosphere immerses the viewer in the emotions and experiences captured in the photographs of athletes who were recently soldiers on the battlefield and suffered serious injuries. According to the servicemen themselves few of them imagined their future in sports competitions, but each is confident that their participation has changed both them and their families. Diana Rozhnatovska, the organizer of the photo exhibition, provided more details about the idea behind its creation and those who contributed to realizing this goal:

"The idea came to Anastasiia during the Games (ed. – Invictus Games). Initially, it was planned to hold the exhibition on Ukraine Independence Day, but eventually, it was decided not to tie it to any specific date. The active preparation phase began approximately one and a half to two months before the opening ceremony, from the moment we met with the director of the organization Franz Sales Haus, which kindly provided its premises and all necessary conditions for holding the event at a high level, Mr. Hubert Vornholt. Anastasiia is a visionary, but at the same time, she never misses a chance to enhance her theoretical knowledge. Unlike me, she has a bunch of books on photography, studies Ukrainian and foreign photographers and their works, and overall, she has made a huge leap in this field over the past two years. Another co-organizer is Olga Yanushevych, who did a lot of work for this exhibition and, in particular, acted as an interpreter for the speakers at the opening ceremony. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Mayor Rolf Fliß, under whose patronage this event took place, and to the Consulate General of Ukraine in Düsseldorf, Ms. Iryna Shum. Also, I want to separately mention all the people who contributed to the project in one way or another: the musical group Musica dal vivo, Yaroslava Kosenko, David Young, Anton Bobko, Luisa Mazzanti, Olga Baidiuk, Maryna Petrenko, and the organization Cap Anamur, which is involved in many powerful projects, including in Ukraine."

During the event, the organizers ensure that the audience does not forget its main purpose – to speak out, shed light on the stories of veterans who became disabled after combat, provide support, and remind both the Ukrainian society in Germany and the citizens of this country that every minute we are protected by the great physical and moral sacrifices of our soldiers.

The organizer adds about the value of Anastasiia Zaruba's photo exhibition:

"It's valuable to draw attention to the issue of people with disabilities. Many people look at this war only considering the horrifying destructive shelling, infrastructure destruction, or brutal battles on the front, without realizing that as a result, people suffer severe injuries, lose sight, hearing, and limbs. We wanted to draw attention to the fact that an important part of our societal development is changing the worldview and perception in such a way that people with disabilities feel as free as you and I do. This includes ramps, accessibility of public transportation, dispelling stigma and stereotypes, and even the most basic – using correct terminology when discussing people with disabilities."

The crucial mission is synonymous with the photo exhibition "Invincible". Organizers and speakers skillfully immerse the audience in the atmosphere of the lives and struggles of Ukrainian servicemen, sharing feelings from their experiences at the Invictus Games, and engaging in conversations with the fighters. You emerge as a different person. That's the feeling that arises after the conclusion of the photo exhibition. It's more than just reminders in the news because the photographs are tangible, of soldiers who defended our borders and then participated in sports competitions, sitting right in front of you. The viewer experiences all the stories along with them and clearly feels every emotion conveyed through the photographs taken by Anastasiia Zaruba.

One of the visitors, Sofia, happily shares her emotions about the event:

"The value of such events is the visibility of Ukraine in Germany. Local news rarely talks about what is happening in our country now, and it's important for us to maintain this level of coverage that was present at the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Such exhibitions are important because viewers see through culture and creativity the pain and achievements of our defenders. As I looked at the photos and read the stories, I remembered the atmosphere felt at the games. I wish more people could see them."

Sophia is not the only one who spoke about the importance of such events. Anastasiia noted that the emotions experienced at the Invictus Games will never be forgotten:

"I was present at the Invictus Games, and these impressions are impossible to forget. We all, Ukrainians, felt like heroes at this event, experiencing all the achievements and obstacles together. I learned about this exhibition at the planning stage, and I am very happy that it took place today. The great value of this exhibition is reminding us of what is happening in Ukraine now, of what our guys, our people, are doing. It's a reminder of what Ukrainians are doing here, in Germany, culturally, politically, and for me, this reminder already has a huge impact. Any similar event is fantastically important in times of war. We don't know what tomorrow will bring, so existential questions have been hanging over us since Russia existed. Today's photo exhibition is of great value to the fighters; it's personally important to them. I have met and talked to our military personnel, and for them, it is probably the only understanding that they are not forgotten  because all cultural events are about Ukraine, about Ukrainians, but events like this are specifically about those who have given the most. That's why I believe that such events should be held more often, in many cities, and with great publicity."

Not only visitors but also military personnel eagerly shared their emotions about the exhibition.

One of them, Vitaliy, a soldier and participant of the Invictus Games, notes:

"It's a very pleasant event. I just spoke with the author of this event, and we discussed how accurately she captured that moment, those emotions of our warriors that cannot be conveyed just like that. An important factor for me is that the photographs are in black and white, meaning that visitors look at the faces of the soldiers, their emotions, and can guess what was on their minds at that time. It warms my heart that Ukrainians responded to this event, that our compatriots care, people took it seriously and came to support us. I am very grateful to my fellow countrymen for this."

The exhibition will be open until May 27, 2024 at Franz Sales Haus, Steeler Str. 261, Essen.

Photographer: David Young