The Day’s Photo Exhibit’s ten-day stay at the Ukrainian Home ended on October 30. During this time, it received 15,000 visitors, an unprecedented number for the event. They included those who constantly monitored The Day’s projects as well as those who were still only potential readers. Such attendance level was a great success for us. By the way of comparison, about 10,000 Kyivans came to the Ukrainian Home to see The Day’s Photo Exhibit last year.
The exhibit’s best works will tour some other Ukrainian cities in the immediate future. The exact choice of host cities depends, as always, on state of demand for the event and local readiness for cooperation, as the exhibit’s annual presentations outside Kyiv require huge effort, including funding, from The Day’s editors and our partners. However, given the considerable interest in various regions of the country, we are deliberately taking this step. Visitors to the exhibit will be able to not only read the photographic history of the country, but also vote for their favorite photos.
In the meantime, it was Kyivans and the capital’s guests who had voted according to their opinions for the best photo. This year’s people’s choice award’s winners’ names were announced at The Day’s Photo Exhibit’s closing ceremony that was held on October 30 at the Ukrainian Home.
Visitors to the exhibit gave the highest marks to Vladyslav Musiienko’s work Hands which received 187 votes. Crucially, it was, probably, the first time when visitors agreed with the opinion of the expert jury and The Day’s permanent partner and friend, Prominvestbank’s board member Viacheslav Yutkin, because Hands won this year’s Grand Prix, too.
“I did not expect that my photo will receive this year’s Grand Prix, and all the more so, I am surprised with it getting Kyivan people’s choice award, as the common people’s recognition is sometimes even more valuable than the experts’ one,” Vladyslav Musiienko told The Day. He was caught unawares by the news of yet another victory. “So, my work must be really impressing. I would like to hope that it will make people think about not only the fate of Yulia Tymoshenko, but life events in the broadest sense, too.”
The voters gave second place to Olha Kuznetsova’s photo Puddle with 103 votes, while the third-place prize went to Oleksandr Prymak’s work The Woman in Green with 96 votes.
This year, the photo exhibit was held for the first time without Leonid Bakka, who had led The Day’s photo department since 1997 and was largely responsible for making our photo contest happen. We invited our late colleague’s widow Olha, his daughter Vita and granddaughter Nadia to the Ukrainian Home. Our photographers, who are effectively Bakka’s students, presented to his family an issue of Living History almanac which was published this year and devoted a separate section to their teacher. Olha Bakka shared her experiences with The Day: “I was impressed with what I saw at the exhibit and moved by the fact that you have not forgotten my husband. I am very grateful to all the editorial staff and, in particular, to Larysa Ivshyna. When we went to the Ukrainian Home, I was a little afraid, but later told my daughter that I felt as if I have attended a meeting with my husband. The works on show are very warm and sincere, without political tinge. That is, they are humane.”
During the announcement of the names of the winners, The Day provided awards for the voters, too, to recognize their activity and initiative. Awards (Ivshyna-edited book My Universities and annual subscription to The Day) went to the participants who filled out the ten questionnaires that were randomly taken out of the box before vote count by a small girl who visited the exhibit.
The Kyivans’ choice has effectively confirmed that the hope, engulfed but not conquered by the gloom, was the main trend of this year’s exhibit, as was indicated by the newspaper’s editor-in-chief at the opening ceremony.
COMMENTARIES
Iryna Konstankevych, Vice-Rector, Lesia Ukrainka Volyn National University:
“This year’s photo exhibit was even more diverse in its topics than before. It is now even more densely populated by characters. Look at these faces, they are documents of the time! They are our contemporaries who are experiencing the same things as we. So, our looks, too, show sorrow, thorough understanding and love...
“I am pleased that the geography of participants has been significantly expanded this year. For example, I was up for a real surprise when I saw Volynian people, as I never knew before that they can create such wonderful photos. These people include Stepan Druzhynovych, the father of our student and author from Volyn, and our former student Artur Opeida with his gorgeous elegiac photo The Monastery at Zymne. By the way, it is one thing when you see the photo, but when you look down to read the signature and name of the author, many points are clarified. It is a dual effect of sorts.
“Interestingly, the main characters of The Day’s Photo Exhibit are the people who are, unfortunately, marginalized and abandoned in everyday life. These are children, disabled, sick, and elderly. Here they are socially active, integral part of society, and this makes the exhibit enlightened, light and beautiful. I am amazed once again that Ivshyna and entire editorial staff find enough resources in themselves to do so many projects simultaneously with editing a daily newspaper! I am deeply grateful to all of you and wish you to be strong so that you will be able to keep up the good work!”
Iryna TYKHOMYROVA, President of MIM-Kyiv
“This is an exhibit of condensed patriotism. If it was possible I would prescribe visiting Den’s photo exhibits as medications. Especially to businesspeople and those who make decisions. They should visit this exhibit instead expensive ones. They should come and see the real life. I will come here once again, too. I want my son to come with his friends. Since it is a medicine helping to understand what is happening, who we are and what is inside us. Here we can see even the corners we refuse to see hiding them deep down. Probably, if we realize that these corners exist we will become sincerer. Probably, Den’s Photo Exhibit will be more cheerful next year since this year there is so much sadness and sorrow… There are a lot of pictures with the police. Misery. Hapless elderly people. In the other hall a ‘cathedral has been built.’ As a symbol, optimism and guideline for future. These are real medications for our people – shock treatment with a positive set.”
Marichka BURMAKA, singer
“I thank my friends who reminded me that Sunday is the last day of the exhibit in Kyiv. In general, the exhibit Den started over ten years ago is the strongest documentary photograph I have ever seen because of the geographical situation of the photographers who sent their works for the contest and because of the psychological influence on the audience. This is the history of the country in photos or the history somehow related to Ukraine. For example, I was moved a lot by the series ‘The Ukrainians over the Urals.’ By the way, the exhibit presents the photo by Mykola Khriienko showing the events I was the witness of, the project ‘The Ukrainian Pioneers’ Train’ in Canada. I thought at once that I also had a couple of good photos I could have sent to the contest. Interestingly, that night I saw on Facebook a comment by Vakhtang Kipiani who had also participated in the project and regretted that he did not manage to send his photos to the contest. I met a lot of acquaintances in the Ukrainian Home who were just overwhelmed with emotions. Learning the history of the country through feelings on the photographs, through people’s eyes, through places that we cannot see without turning off our usual everyday route is very impressive and useful.”
