UNBOWED: STORIES OF UKRAINE

This is a powerful and inspiring photography exhibition produced by a group of Ukrainian women working with photojournalist Natalia Sharomova. 

Partly funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the exhibition, which goes on display at St John's College August 5-11, records the women’s personal experiences of

leaving their homes, their friends and family in Ukraine, living in the UK, and of the ongoing trauma of the war.

The Ukraine art group was set up in November 2022, supported by Creative Response Arts and Activate Learning.

Natalia Sharomova, one of the artists running the Ukraine art group, works as a photojournalist and taught portrait photography to the group. All the photographs in the exhibition were taken by members of the group using their newly learned skills.

Each portrait is accompanied by a personal story in the sitter’s own words, translated into English. The original Ukrainian versions will also be available to view at the exhibition.

Natalia says, 'I am a photojournalist from Ukraine, Kyiv. I moved to the UK with my children because of the war. Here I work at the Creative Response part of the Activate Learning College. I started the photography section and have been running photography workshops. Oxford University is now is a part of the photo project, in which Yayorslava Buhta (the president of the Oxford University Ukrainian Society) and other women are included.

The exhibition is sponsored by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, supported by Creative Response Arts and Activate Learning College.

24 portraits and life stories all demonstrate the extraordinary resilience and fortitude of Ukrainian women, but they also tell a much wider story. A story of how people can come together in times of crisis to work together to help one another.