An ode to humanity

More than 150 photos taken by winners of the 16th Den’s International Photo Contest went on display at the Odesa Literary Museum. It marked Den team’s first visit since 2006 to the city of Isaac Babel and Mykhailo Zhvanetsky. This newspaper’s editor-in-chief Larysa Ivshyna presented Den’s books at the Odesa Gorky National Research Library in 2006. “We held inspired discussions in Odesa before, there is a history of mutual relations, the impressions brought by the public and the aura of the city. We have carefully prepared for the meeting to be held this year,” Ivshyna stressed. “The main problem of Ukraine is mass degradation and barbarization. People have stopped reading high-brow texts, so let them look at high-brow photos. They who will take an interest in these shall turn to high-brow lecture as well.”

There is demand for high-brow books in Odesa. Early visitors to the photo exhibition queued to get books of Den’s Library. Ukraine Incognita and Ukraine Incognita. TOP 25 were bestsellers; interestingly, the last one had its Ukrainian version selling best. In addition, new items of Den’s Library became wonderful gifts for the local intelligentsia. In particular, director of V.Ships Inc. Ihor Safin donated a few sets of Den’s books to educational institutions of Odesa.

Also, students of the department of history and philosophy of the South Ukrainian Ushinsky National Pedagogical University presented their alma mater with a complete set of Den’s Library publications. “History-related books are extremely important to us. We are happy to be collecting a library dealing with events of the distant past and the recent time as well,” third-year student of the department Anna Yavorska admitted.

The impact of Den on Ukrainian consciousness was remarked about by the photo exhibition’s early visitors. Advisor to the chairman of the Odesa Oblast State Administration Zoia Kazanzhy emphasized: “When there is a war, everyone does what they can do best. Den and Ivshyna ‘split this rock,’ and it results in changing people’s minds. These changes are often slow, but they are beneficial nonetheless. Ukrainians have a principle stated as ‘birds of a feather should stick together.’ We have to support each other, to form an environment where people come together. It is hard to do, but values unite us. These values are pictured in Den’s photos.”

The purpose of the photo exhibition is to introduce Ukrainians to the heroes of our time, those who stay human in the fire of the Euromaidan, at a checkpoint near Sloviansk or in their destroyed houses. Den’s editor-in-chief Ivshyna stressed: “We have many underloved people who really deserve our attention the most. These underloved children of the independent Ukraine have now gone to defend it, and the exciting pictures of Den’s exhibition show who was unjustly left out of focus of our attention.”

AT THE ODESA MUSEUM OF LITERATURE, PEOPLE LINED UP FOR DEN LIBRARY BOOKS AND THEN FOR AN AUTOGRAPH FROM THE NEWSPAPER’S EDITOR-IN-CHIEF LARYSA IVSHYNA

The visitors to the exhibition are now facing a difficult task, as they are to choose the best picture, worthy of the Audience Award. As soon as the opening day, November 21, the debate flared on what pictures are better: “peaceful” photos of children, fiery snapshots of the Revolution of Dignity or portraits of soldiers serving in the anti-terrorist operation area?

Best works of the 16th Den’s International Exhibition will be on display at the Odesa Literary Museum until December 23.

IMPRESSIONS

Myroslav MOSIUK, Ukrainian dissident with a degree in chemistry:

“I respect Den. I have been a subscriber for a solid decade, and I read it with pleasure. It is an informative periodical offering food for thought, and the photos at the exhibit are impressive. Such photos should be exhibited in Odesa because for some reason there are more fools than intelligent people here, and this exposition will help change the situation.

“My favorite is Tetiana Barybina’s Half-Hint, with a boy winking at a girl. We are living in a whirlwind of shock, and Den’s exhibit has a lot of bright photos from Maidan, and also the blood-curdling Parade by Oleksandr Yermochenko, showing the Ukrainian PoWs’ paraded in Donetsk. Yet man always seeks for something good and kind, so I like this picture, full of joy and light.”

Kateryna SERBINA, concertmaster, teacher at the Odesa Dankevych School of Arts and Culture:

“It is a very touching exposition. I am grateful to the people who went through hell on Maidan and stood up for our freedom. And I am grateful to the photographers who worked in the epicenter of it all. Ukrainians are so humane in the photos here. Under the circumstances you might think that Ukrainians should be aggressive, but in fact it is the other side that is being aggressive, while we remain humane. I was most impressed by the photos Father’s Courage by Ivan Liubysh-Kirdei and Human Warmth by Maksym Liukov. In fact, exhibits like this one are absolutely necessary, so that people could see what is really going on. There is a powerful information war being waged against us, and people just do not know what they should trust and hope for.”

Serhii SAVCHENKO, deputy head of the Odesa oblast branch of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine:

“Today, the reconstruction of our memory is going on. For me Maidan is an explosion of utterly national self-identification of Ukrainians. Everyone involved felt themselves self-sufficient. Now interpretation began. I hope that this outburst of energy will transform into a new, positive life form. Den’s actions, the photo exhibit in particular, demonstrate large-scale energy which we felt on Maidan. I would like to see more artifacts like these. They are the documents testifying to the yet never mentioned events. This is what makes Den’s exhibit so valuable for me.”

Oleksandr FEDOROV, press secretary, Ukrainian Association of Ship-Owners:

“This photo exhibit is an event in the life of Odesa. Symbolically, in our city the exhibit opened on the day of Maidan’s anniversary. I loved the incredible truthfulness and emotions captured in the photos, they will leave no one indifferent. This is historical truth. If I were a curator of such an exhibit, I would not display photos with Yanukovych and Putin, just out of protest. But they are present in Den’s exposition, moreover, they must be here, because such is our reality.

“I was struck by the photos of ruins in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. For one, Mykola Tymchenko’s photo Despite, with a little girl roller-skating next to a devastated house. This is a symbol of hope, just like the entire exhibit.”

Larysa DEMIANYSHYNA, painter:

“It is hard to render my impressions. On the one hand, I feel proud for Ukrainians, for the country which rose and united. But we are not completely consolidated. However, in Den’s photos you can see the waking up of intelligent Ukrainians. Actually, I was very eager to see this exhibit, I planned to go to Kyiv to do this but I was late. I am happy that the project has come to Odesa. I hope that the Day of Dignity, which coincided with the opening, will become the beginning of something great and light.

“I remember the best Oleksandr Synelnykov’s photo titled Odesite, featuring a little boy playing in front of a line of cops. Another photo that impressed me was Yevhen Tymchenko’s Onion. It is a portrait of an old lady, inspiring wisdom and optimism. The woman in the photo is an embodiment of mother, keeper of the hearth. It is a striking picture.”

Volodymyr SEMERENKO, entrepreneur, geologist:

“The exhibit is impressive because it reflects the horrible months in the history of our country. However, Den brings light. The Ukrainian in these photos is a hero. Our generation has never seen so much heroism in all the ages of Ukraine’s history. Maidan has transformed the essence of the Ukrainian, and it inspires hope that we will build a wealthy and democratic European country.

“It is not easy to pick the best photo. Here, in Mykola Tymchenko’s Maidan. January 22, 2014 we see the birth of the new Ukraine. Also impressive is the portrait of Serhii Nigoyan, made by Ruslan Kaniuka. I came to Maidan just when Nigoyan was killed, that is why this work stirred me so. All in all, you will find a lot of wonderful photos on a variety of subjects here.”

Alina PLIACHENKO, president of Odesa branch of the Ukraine-wide Ukrainian Women’s League:

“In Den’s pictures you see the Ukrainian who has realized that he is the master in his own house. During the Orange Revolution of 2004 the generation of Vasyl Stus woke up, mature people. Today it is the young that woke up, and we need to help them, educate them, in particular, through such projects as Den’s Photo Exhibition.”

Danylo VOLOS, student, Odesa Gymnasium No.7:

“I am proud that such a patriotic exhibit has come to Odesa. I loved the pictures of Maidan and of our troops defending our borders the most. These photos are like information resistance to Russia’s claims that Ukraine’s west is fighting against its east. I especially remembered Mykola Tymchenko’s photo Maidan. January 22, 2014. This picture shows Ukrainians’ heroism.”