DISCONNECTION
(2023)
I moved to Germany in March 2022 after Russia started a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. So did a lot of other Ukrainians. Despite being safe, a lot of them did not feel comfortable. Struggling with the fact that lots of people still live under missile attacks while they are safe is common for all Ukrainians who went abroad after the war started. My mom also mentioned once that the world seemed black and white as if she was unable to see bright colors anymore. I was taking pictures of displaced people from Ukraine who moved to Altenburg, Germany. By cutting the pictures and mixing the parts of the photos I am trying to recreate the world of people who feel divided into pieces. They are physically in Europe but their thoughts are in their homeland. People are standing in front of abandoned buildings which is rather common for Altenburg. The city lost half of its population after the German reunification and many buildings are staying empty for years. These buildings represent the inner state of people who have been through a lot since the war started. With embroidery, which is also an important cultural phenomenon in Ukraine, I am trying to fix it and sew the pieces of a broken person together.
Copyright 2023
©️All rights reserved - Maryna Shtanko
