“Photos which awaken conscience”

“I think that the inhabitants of Morshyn and those who visited the town in July and August were extremely lucky. Our resort is one of the places that have hosted Den’s photo exhibit. Photography is the simplest and most unobtrusive way to see, perceive, and feel the emotions of the captured moment. And those pictures are indeed very deep, emotional, and impressive.

“I would like to note that the timing is perfect: in the summer there are lots of holidaymakers in our resort town, and an event like this is unique for our guests. I saw with my own eyes how a tour guide led a group of kids through the exhibit, pausing in front of each picture to explain what it was about. And for holidaymakers from abroad the exhibit was a kind of must-see.

“In my opinion, such events improve the resort’s image: the public comes to see it as a cultural center where you can combine recreation and health care, as well as quench your ‘thirst for culture.’ This is a common practice at Western health resorts: they host a lot of cultural and art events, as people need emotional pleasure. I would love this exhibit to boost Morshyn’s cultural life,” said Mariana MAHAS, senior marketing officer at the state-owned company Morshynkurort and head of the Association for Development and Promotion of Morshyn, an NGO. We would like to remind that Morshyn became the last destination for the winning photos of Den’s photo competition Den-2015. Here, on August 14, the photo exhibit closed.

Photo by Ruslan KANIUKA, The Day

All in all, the cycle of this exhibit included eight cities: Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Odesa, Lutsk, Lviv, and Morshyn. It covered 3,755 kilometers to let tens of thousands feel the country’s pulse throb. Our photo exhibits were visited by Ukrainians and foreigners, some traveled from other cities only to see the exhibit (for instance, people from Lviv and Kyiv would go to Odesa). In Dnipro some visitors recognized their acquaintances in the pictures, and in Kharkiv we found the prototypes of Oleh Batrak’s Feeling, Alina Myshcherykova (13) and her pet dog Kichiro, a Tosa Inu, a breed quite rare in Ukraine. As it turned out, the photographer had captured them at a pet exhibit in Kyiv. At the photo exhibit our new acquaintance got not only a lot of positive emotions, but a book from Den’s Library series as a present from the editor-in-chief.

It seems that the visitors’ impressions from the works were anything but shallow. “Den’s photo exhibit will help us strengthen our faith in Ukraine’s victory and make us even stronger,” was what we heard in Mykolaiv. “We have never seen such topical photos with such Ukrainian content,” someone reassured Den’s team at YermilovCenter in Kharkiv. “This exhibit is one of the most visited over the three years that our gallery has been active,” this was the feedback we got at ArtSvit in Dnipro. “A feeling of a united country,” “the nation’s emotional state,” “the exhibit that awakens conscience,” these are the remarks from the inhabitants of Odesa, Lutsk, and Lviv. Sincere smiles and tears were the constant companions of Den’s photos in the regions.

Daddy Goes to War / Photo by Anna Chapala

And last, but not least: a recurrent incident for years. It is the same photos that win the most viewers’ sympathies in all the cities. Thus in Morshyn the locals and guests alike named Anna Chapala’s Daddy Goes to War the best. Olena Shunkina’s Sashko was ranked second, the third place went to Artem Slipachuk’s Father and Sons. Likewise Daddy Goes to War became the public’s favorite in Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Lutsk, and Lviv, and was second in Kharkiv. A lot of likes were earned by Ivan Bohdan’s Tenderness with a heavy-built soldier hugging a tiny puppy; Sashko by Shunkina featuring a refugee boy in an old house; and Serhii Hudak’s Real Apocalypse capturing storks on a field ablaze. Who said that there are large mental differences between our regions?

It is important to add, though, that the holding of the photo exhibits was marked by several “humanitarian records,” which began in Dnipro. With the promotion of the mayor, local business owners purchased sets of books from Den’s Library for all the city’s schools (and there are 161 of them!). Odesa followed suit in a similar manner; in other regions the responsible local government and business made intellectual presents for local libraries, schools, and universities, enriching their collections with more than a thousand copies, instrumental for understanding of our past and present history.

Now Den is accepting works for its 18th International Photo Competition. Past year some 200 participants sent over 3,000 photos to be considered by the jury. Eventually, 78 photographers were awarded. We are looking forward for the best pictures from professionals and amateurs taking the country’s pulse in 2016. The competition will include the following nominations: Ukrainian World, Politics, Photo Photo with a Story, World through the Eyes of Children (up to 18 years). For details check http://day.kyiv.ua/uk/content/hvii-mizhnarodnyy-fotokonkurs-gazety-den