“Photo exhibit is uniting, inspiring, and motivating”

The 16th Den’s International Photo Exhibit has been on a visit in Drohobych for two weeks. The number of visitors is impressive. “Nearly 100 visitors come every day to absorb the entire depth of what is depicted in the photos,” says junior researcher of the Palace of Arts of the Museum “Drohobychchyna” Tetiana SHUMSKA. “Almost all of the educational establishments of our region have been the guests of the exhibit. Elderly people and very young children, tearful or smiling, were sharing emotions with one another and energetically writing something in the visitors’ book. When they find out that they have to choose the best photo, they don’t hide their confusion: ‘Is it possible?’ they ask in surprise.”

“This is the first photo exhibit of this scale,” Tetiana continues. “With such a powerful content. The photos capture not only what is outside, but also what is deep inside. The exhibit is painful, but it is full of inspiration. Four halls that are connected with invisible content threads, and at the same time they are so different. Maidan, the war in the east, life in Ukraine in its hardest period. In spite of that, like the photo by Mykola Tymchenko Despite shows – a girl is roller-skating with a ruined house in the background – at the same time and in spite of everything life goes on. The most pleasant touch to soul is the photos of children who smile from the photos so innocently and timidly that they give second breath to those who completely fell into despair.”

“The exhibit is attended by people of various ages, social statuses, and political beliefs – the recent events have united the country, the photo exhibit has united those who seek changes, the connoisseurs of art in its best manifestations. There are over 20 families from Crimea and many people from the east residing in Drohobych – they all came here. They were sad and thankful. I remember the situation,” the museum employee commented, “When a boy stood very long near Artem Slipachuk’s photo Partner and finally, with tears in his eyes, he said, ‘I left my dog there too.’ These photos are alive, like the desire to build our country together.”

The visitors of the exhibit came from Kyiv, Odesa, Luhansk, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil… And on June 5-6, while the large-scale Europe Days were held in Drohobych, the exposition was attended by the members of diplomatic offices from Poland, Austria, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, and Lithuania. In particular, a respected Polish diplomat, EU Ambassador to Ukraine Jan Tombinski expressed his sincere amazement. He left the following response in the visitors’ book: “I am very thankful for the possibility to visit the museum, which is one of the many examples of European creative work, but barbarism as well, which has ruined the achievements of the previous generations.”

And visitors continue to come. For example, on Tuesday a joint delegation of the Warsaw Lyceum and Drohobych Specialized School of I-III degrees No. 2 came to see the Den’s exhibit. “The photographers depicted the reality in such an apt way. Something incredible is going on in my soul… the amazement from the aesthetics and sadness intertwine,” Oleh Lahush and Kateryna Malysh shared their impressions.

So, the Photo Exhibit of the newspaper Den in Drohobych is doing its business: unites, inspires, and motivates.

May the grains grow and may a new way of thinking develop. We are thankful to Den.