FotoEvidence Initiatives

THE INITIATIVE FOTOEVIDENCE UKRAINE

FotoEvidence Association in partnership with The Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers is developing a 3-year program, FotoEvidence Ukraine, to support the Ukrainian photography community and contribute to the preservation and restoration of Ukrainian history and culture through photo books publications documenting the Russian invasion of Ukraine since 2014.

FotoEvidence Ukraine is supported by the Open Society Foundations and the Renaissance Foundation.

Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, 1,582 Ukrainian cultural sites, including 598 libraries, have been damaged. It is no secret that Putin’s goals are not purely territorial but cultural, to eliminate Ukraine as an independent nation and subjugate its culture to Russian dominance.

WHY BOOKS?

 

Books are familiar and accepted object at every level of society and around the world. The stories told in books communicate social issues beyond the front-page news and educate about the roots of conflicts and human rights violations. The book stays as evidence on shelves in homes and libraries keeping the stories that shaped the world. Books are often seen as treats and burned. FotoEvidence was created to keep memories and to inspire social change by the work we publish and promote.

"The Russo-Ukrainian War is more than a war between armies—it is a war between societies. Russia’s intention is not solely to defeat the Ukrainian military but to turn Ukraine into a gray zone by destroying it as a nation. Among the key casualties of the war are cultural heritage institutions, specifically those where ideas are preserved and exchanged: libraries”: Ulia Gosart, professor at the School of Information, San José State University.

MISSION

Photojournalists from Ukraine and around the world have documented the visual narrative of this critical chapter in Ukraine's history. Their dedication sheds light on the complex realities of life amidst the ongoing Russian invasion, terror against civilians, and efforts of cultural eradication. FotoEvidence Ukraine will collect and publish visual stories documenting this period, with the goal of populating libraries and schools with books that preserve the story of this time for future generations.

Through the collection and distribution of extensive documentary material, FotoEvidence Ukraine aims to maintain global awareness of the Russian invasion, while also supporting Ukrainian culture by offering valuable resources for media, public discourse, and education for future generations.

By offering a platform for Ukrainian photographers to share their body of work documenting Russian invasion with international audiences, the project will foster cultural entrepreneurship, bolster the growth of Ukraine's creative industries, and deliver essential historical documentation.

THE BOOK

Ukraine:
A
War
Crime

by 93 photojournalistse

FotoEvidence is the publisher of the acclaimed historical book, Ukraine: A War Crime, a collection of over 360 photographs and 35 witness accounts by more than ninety photojournalists from 29 countries, all united to present their first-hand testimony about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, from the perspective of those tasked with documenting it. The book was recognized as the Photography book of the year by the International Photography Awards in New York, shortlisted for the 2023 Arles Historical Book Award and received Silver medal in the Human Rights and Media category of the Anthem Award.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

To bring the reality of war into communities, FotoEvidence Ukraine will mount traveling exhibits based on books we published. The book, Ukraine: A War Crime was presented during 19 different venues in Europe, including Ukraine and the US. Supported by the Open Society Foundations, an exhibit based on the book traveled in the Western Balkans, starting in Tirana, followed by Kosovo, Northern Macedonia, Bulgaria and Serbia.

We plan to establish collaboration with the National Library in Ukraine and the Ukrainian Ministry in Education to distribute the books to schools, libraries, and cultural centers.

 

 

THE TEAM

Working with a Ukrainian team, FotoEvidence will bring to the support of Ukrainian visual storytellers over a decade of experience of  developing and publishing powerful photo books focused on human rights. The FotoEvidence Ukraine team includes 16 established Ukrainian and International photojournalists and photo editors with experience in storytelling and photo books. FotoEvidence has worked with most of them in previous publications on the war in Ukraine. Their task will be to bring stories that merit preservation in books and to guide the authors through the creative process.

Ultimately, every new author will become part of the team, a growing collaborative community of photojournalists working to document current history for the sake of future generations.

The FotoEvidence Ukraine Team will be led by Director, Svetlana Bachevanova. In Ukraine Project Menager is Olga Kovalova/UAPP and Managing Editor, Irynka Hromotska.

The Collaborative Editorial Board includes: Paula Bronstein (USA),Maxim Dondyuk (UKR), Brendan Hoffman (USA), Oleksander Glyadyelov (UKR), Natalie Keyssar (USA), Serhii Korovayny (UKR), Olga Kovalova (UKR),  Sarah Leen (USA), Evgeniy Maloletka (UKR),   Sasha Maslov (UKR), Mikhaylo Palinchak (UKR),Oksana Parafeniuk (UKR), Danylo Pavlov (UKR), and Katerina Radchenko (UKR).

BOOK APPLICATIONS 2024

To celebrate FotoEvidence’s partnership with the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers we are working on our first publication: War Photo Chronicles, a photo book developed by members of the UAPP in response to the challenges posed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine since 2014. The project systematically documents and preserves the chronicle of key events related to Russia's invasion, events marked by a profound impact on society and to preserve the story of Ukrainian’s resistance for future generations.

Starting August 5, 2024 FotoEvidence Ukraine will accept book proposals from Ukrainian photographers whose work focus on documenting the Russian invasion since 2014.

Proposals must be in the form of low-resolution PDF, that includes the statement of the work in English and Ukrainian, images, and a short explanation of your vision for the book. Email to:

svetlana@fotoevidence.com or i.hromotska@gmail.com

Deadline: November 30, 2024

Proposals will be reviewed in December 2024 and selected authors will be invited to discuss possible publication.

THE PROCESS

Creating a book is an educational process and one of FotoEvidence’s core activities to nurture photographers dedicated to producing long-form, humanistic stories.

In building a book FotoEvidence gives the photographer the opportunity to work with a creative team that includes the publisher, a photo editor, and a book designer.  The goal of this creative process is both to support the photographer in building a book that fulfills their vision and to produce a powerful book with emotional impact.

MADE IN UKRAINE

All FotoEvidence Ukraine books will be printed and bound in Ukraine.

Interviews

Mikael
Owunna
Limitless Africans
Mickael Owunna
Antonio
Faccilongo
Habibi
-Winner of the 2019 FotoEvidence Book Award with WPP
Rehab
Eldalil
Winner of
2022 W Award
Solmaz
Daryani
The Eyes of Earth
Solmaz Daryani
Josué
Rivas
Winner of
2018 FotoEvidence Book Award