Ukraine: War and Resistance Photo Exhibit

The photo exhibition Ukraine: War and Resistance is a traveling project by Fulbright Ukraine & Institute of International Education (IIE) Kyiv Office, in partnership with various co-organizers in the U.S. and Europe. The authors of the photographs are almost all Fulbright Alumni who are either from Ukraine, or American Fulbrighters to Ukraine who have lived and worked for several years or more within the country.

The Fulbright Program is one of the most prestigious exchange programs in the world. With the beginning of Russia’s war against Ukraine, a cohort of Fulbright photographers found themselves at the epicenter of momentous events, equipped with their own weapons of defense: knowledge and a camera. They managed to capture the tragic and heroic, devastating and hopeful moments of the present life in Ukraine. Most of the photographs were taken after the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, yet some date as early as 2014, when Russia first invaded Ukraine and annexed the Crimean Peninsula.

The idea to present these works in a single traveling photo project was initiated and implemented by Fulbright Ukraine & IIE Kyiv Office. In fall 2022, the photo exhibition Ukraine: War and Resistance debuted at the Vinnytsia museum, Ukraine. Its geography expanded to the U.S., Germany, Czechia, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Austria and Canada by now.

Thanks to the support of Fulbright Ukraine, photos from the exhibition Ukraine: War and Resistance are presented at Florida State University (FSU) in Tallahassee through a collaboration between the FSU Ukraine Task Force and FSU Opening Nights. Provost James Clark established the Ukraine Task Force in 2022 shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion to extend a hand of support to Ukrainian academics while also advancing the university’s mission of teaching, research, creative endeavors, and service. FSU Opening Nights’ mission is to present compelling and distinguished artists who provide extraordinary experiences that educate, inspire and connect diverse audiences on and off campus.

The Ukraine: War and Resistance exhibit will be on display at 200 W. College Avenue in Tallahassee, Florida from February 24 to April 4, 2025.  The photo exhibition presents the works of Fulbrighters J.T. Blatty, Oleksii Furman, Brendan Hoffman, Serhii Korovayny, Joseph Sywenkyj, Emine Ziyatdinova, and Oksana Parafeniuk, a former employee of the Fulbright Program in Ukraine. General design by Marian Luniv, Ukrainian artist and Communications Coordinator at Fulbright Ukraine & IIE Kyiv Office.

The Fulbright Program is operated by the U.S. Department of State in partnership with more than 160 countries worldwide. It ensures scientific, educational, and cultural exchanges. The program was established in 1946 on the initiative of Senator J. William Fulbright from the state of Arkansas, who endeavored to improve interaction and to increase mutual understanding between countries through international exchanges in order to avoid wars and human suffering. According to him, the exchange program is not a panacea, but an avenue of hope.

In Ukraine, the Fulbright Program has existed since 1992. For 30 years, it has provided the opportunity for hundreds of Ukrainians and Americans to gain their academic exchange experience. Fulbright Ukraine is led and administered in partnership with the U.S. Embassy Kyiv and the U.S. Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs by the Institute of International Education (IIE). The network of personal and professional contacts between Ukrainians and Americans, formed in particular thanks to the Fulbright, has worked in favor of the support of Ukraine by the U.S. government and American society through all challenges small and large, including through the pandemic and the war.