October 21, the Ukrainian Home in Kyiv hosted Den/The Day’s 13th annual photo exhibit. It displayed over 380 works by 380 photographers selected out of 1,200 photos submitted from all over Ukraine and abroad. There were many guests, many warm words were said to the accompaniment of good music. This exhibit marked what could well be described as a culminating point in a series of cultural events commemorating this newspaper’s 15th anniversary. That night, editor-in-chief Larysa Ivshyna presented Den’s calling-card shawl created by Pavlo Makov and Lilia Pustovit, and took part in the ceremony of canceling Den’s Great Names postage stamp series, with the names of James mace, Klara Gudzyk, and Anatolii Kazansky.
As earlier reported, Den-2011’s Grand Prix — a deposit contract with Prominvestbank, worth 25,000 hryvnias — went to Vladislav Musienko (Kyiv) for his Hands. Last year, he won the Golden Day Prize for his Mourning Sisters. Among his other memorable works is That Same Breguet (one of the world’s most expenses wristwatches he spotted on Moscow Patriarch Kirill’s wrist). This year’s photo is also very topical, socially as well as politically. It shows Yulia Tymoshenko, with the camera behind her back, focusing on a pair of work-worn hands resting on her shoulders that are in sharp contrast with her traditionally glamorous visage.
Says Musienko: “I took this picture by sheer accident, during a rally in the vicinity of the Verkhovna Rada in which Yulia Tymoshenko took part. I found myself behind her, for several seconds before the security guards pushed me away, but long enough to see one of her supporters embrace her. I took a closer look at the picture at home and saw that pair of hands. Then the [political] situation in this country changed and this photo became symbolical. Interestingly, people appear to find their own special symbols examining this picture. After exploring this year’s exhibit I discovered that most works on display were optimistic. In other words, positive emotions are currently in demand. Den’s photo competition is the only one in Ukraine meant for newspaper photographers, considering that there is no alternative. Personally, I like its democratic atmosphere. I have been submitting photos since 2006 and they have invariably been appreciated.”
This year’s Golden Day Prize, annually awarded by editor-in-chief Larysa Ivshyna, was won by Den’s staff photographer Kostiantyn Hryshyn’s “The Return of Russkaia Pravda.”
“No mystery stories have anything to do with this photo. I took this picture at Kyivska Rus’ Park, a cultural and historical center of the ancient Slavic state. A boy walked over to a helmet lying on the ground, picked it, put it on his head, then turned to me and smiled. A moment later it was over.”
The continuation of this topic and the commentaries read in the next issue.
