<I>The Day</I>’s 10th photo exhibit at WB office in Kyiv

Shortly after The Day’s 10th Photo Exhibit at the Ukrainian House in October, the best works are on display at the World Bank’s Representation to Ukraine. This exposition will be open for the general public until the end of November.

Dmytro Derkach, head of the World Bank in Ukraine’s press service, says: “Hosting this exhibit has become traditional with the World Bank for the past two years, yet every such event is of special importance to the bank’s staff. From our office this exhibit will travel across Ukraine. The World Bank has supported The Day’s photo competition for the past four years, choosing winners and giving them prizes.”

The World Bank’s partners and guests may also try themselves as members of the jury and cast their votes for the best photo by filling out a questionnaire. As a result, one of the photographers will receive the Audience Choice Prize. There enough high-quality photos to choose from-the WB office displays the best ones. Some of these have been featured by The Day, including “I Love Watermelons,” “Fighting Back Leukemia,” and “Three Children Killed in the Flood” (The Day recently carried an article about this photo), to mention but a few. Each photo is a life story, a tragic, ironical, or merry one, with a touch of good humor and optimism. Each reflects life in Ukraine in its own way. The best photos will be included in a calendar, which is another good tradition established by The Day in collaboration with the World Bank.

The Day’s editor in chief Larysa Ivshyna says, “You can see this calendar in WB offices in Hong Kong, Washington, Astana [capital of Kazakhstan]... It enables office employees in other countries to develop a new view of Ukraine and make this country closer and more understandable. As for global issues, we are developing a different language, the language of photography, which doesn’t require translation because it is a vehicle of precious information that tells other people about Ukrainians and Uk­rai­ne.”

Martin Raiser, the World Bank’s Country Director for Uk­rai­ne, Belarus, and Moldova, feels sure that all circumstances notwithstanding, including the world financial crisis and economic hardships in Ukraine, this photo exhibit charges the viewer with an incredible amount of positive energy.

COMMENTS

Martin RAISER, the World Bank’s Country Director for Ukraine, Belarus, and Moldova:

“I was very happy to launch The Day‘s photo exhibit on the World Bank Office. I think that all these photos are both top-quality works and proof of the changes that are taking place in Ukraine. They offer us a splendid opportunity to see a reflection of Ukraine’s daily life. We’re trying to observe it on our own, even though this proves to be rather difficult sometimes.

“This year we have combined efforts with the Ukrainian Me­di­cal Union for the first time and chosen a special subtopic for the ex­hibit, namely healthcare in Uk­raine. Together with the UMU, we selected three photos. They are on display at the WB office. I’m personally deeply moved by them. We have picked this subject because it is my deep conviction that Ukrainians de­ser­ve a better healthcare system and professional help. These photos reflect the entire range of health problems in Ukraine. On the one hand, you can see children aged under 10 smoking cigarettes and drinking beer right in front of adults. On the other hand, there is a fantastic photo of a newborn in care and doctors giving it a chance to survive.

“I haven’t had time yet to see all the photos on display, but my experience as a regular visitor of The Day‘s photo exhibits says that Ukraine is emerging before our very eyes as a country with many faces: happy and sad and rural and urban ones. It’s hard to determine what Ukraine is actually all about, but it is undoubtedly a dynamic country.

“Photos have invariably allowed people to look at themselves from a different angle; they recognize themselves in some photos and other photos prompt them to ponder certain aspects of life. For example, seeing a photo with a youngster smoking a cigarette makes the viewer consider how this problem can be resolved. Thus, photography is a tool that helps people think about their country, their fellow countrymen, and themselves.”

Kostiantyn HRYDIN, executive director of CFC Consulting:

“The first thing that comes to mind is the most vivid photo with Hryhorii Surkis embracing Michel Platini during his latest visit in conjunction with Ukraine’s preparations for Euro-2012. This exhibit features a number of photography genres, so it’s hard to compare a photo with public figures embracing each other with that of a woman who has lost three children killed in the flood or the one with a girl eating a chunk of watermelon. I’m not even sure that such photos should be categorized by genre; for all I know, it is the the content, rather than the form, that really matters to the viewer — in other words, how touching and emotional a particular photograph is and what idea it conveys.

“You may not know the people in a photo, but the photographer can portray them so that everyone will pause to study this photo and no one will remain indifferent. I think that if you explore this photo exhibit once again, you’ll have a totally different impression because your emotions will have faded into the backdrop, and you will have a fresh concept of what these pictures convey.

“These photos have shown us the versatility of Ukraine precisely by virtue of featuring people who represent various social strata: politicians, clergymen, peasants, and so on. Also, this exhibit reflects the geography of our country because in these pictures we see people from various regions of Ukraine. It is precisely the diversity and multifaceted message of the exhibit that make the greatest impression.”

Veronika VASHCHENKO, head of information projects, UNICEF:

“I am very positively im­pres­sed by this exhibit. I absolutely agree with the organizers that photos are a very strong vehicle for conveying important, topical messages to society. They are also an extremely effective tool for telling a certain story, in this case the history of Ukraine and its people.

“I have regularly attended The Day’s photo exhibits and I hope that this tradition will be upheld; showing life in Ukraine through photography is a very good initiative. It is hard to make comparisons regarding the whole pool of photographs because after every exhibit only some photos stick in your mind, yet photos with children is the ever present accent at the exhibit and they carve themselves in your memory. These photos are graphic evidence of what’s happening in Ukraine and which way this country is moving.

“Some of the photos selected by the World Bank as prize winners are sad, but they tell the stories of Ukrainian children and draw attention to their problems. If I were to choose the best photo from among all those on display, I guess it would be a photo with children — and not only because I’m work in UNICEF, but also because children are the reflection of our society. They need our care and attention.

“If I were to choose the best, if even the saddest photo, I’d pick Anastasia Syrotkina’s “Ex­pec­ta­tion” showing a child in a hospital ward — it won the World Bank’s third prize. Ukraine has still a lot to do to improve children’s living conditions and protect their rights. This photo is a vivid illustration that we have to fight for every [child’s] life, and that it is our task to make every child in Ukraine happy.”

Hanna BILOUSOVA, participant in the program UN Volunteers:

“These photos have once again convinced me that our country is truly beautiful, de­spite all economic hardships and the thorny road that lies ahead. Looking at these photos one can tell that our people aren’t giving up hope, remain very much optimistic in dealing with their personal problems, and many are living up to their calling. This means that our citizens are goal-oriented individuals with a clear idea of what they’re after and doing their utmost to reach their targets.

“These photos are captivatingly sincere and humane. I was most impressed by the photos reflecting life in Ukraine’s rural areas, perhaps because I live in a big city and seldom visit the countryside. It’s not often that you can see old men riding horse-driven carts to the place where they will make hay or goats grazing out in the pasture. So this topic is very interesting for me and many other people because it encourages one to learn more about Ukraine by traveling to various regions, studying their customs and traditions and seeing things with one’s own eyes.

“I believe that all photos on display deserve prizes and awards, so I can sympathize with the people tasked with choosing the best ones. All the photographers are worthy of every praise. This is especially true of the younger ones, considering that this year’s photo exhibit features works submitted by children — and their photos match those made by professionals in every respect. Looking at a photo, it’s hard to tell whether it was taken by a child or an adult, until you read the caption. To me, the children’s photos seem to be more idea-driven and vivid, and even better in terms of quality. Of course, this is my personal opinion, so you have to explore this exhibit to agree or disagree with it.”