Hull photo exhibition of Ukraine war shows 'courage and hope'

Pritti MistryBBC News
News imageEvgen Maloletka/Associated Press Children sitting huddled in a bomb shelterEvgen Maloletka/Associated Press
Children waiting for an air raid alert in a bomb shelter, March 2022

An exhibition of striking photographs capturing the conflict in Ukraine show "inspiring scenes of courage and hope", organisers have said.

The images on display at the University of Hull includes those by Pulitzer Prize-winning war photographers Evgen Maloletka and Rodrigo Abd.

It features portraits of people hit by the devastation and those on the front line.

The university said it served "as a reminder of Ukrainian bravery".

News imageEvgen Maloletka/Associated Press A woman standing in front of a wreckage of a fire engine with a blue blanket partially covering her faceEvgen Maloletka/Associated Press
A woman stands near the wreckage of a fire engine after being fired upon by Russian troops, 10 March 2022

Among the 90 photographs on display at the university's Brynmor Jones Library is an image of a six-year-old boy at the grave of his mother, who is buried in the courtyard of their house in Bucha after she was killed by Russian soldiers.

It was taken by two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner Argentinian photographer Mr Abd.

News imageYevhen Titov/Associated Press Man on frontlineYevhen Titov/Associated Press
Medic of the field hospital in Bakhmut and Mufti of the Muslim Community of Donbass

John Bernasconi, director of the University of Hull Art Collection, said the exhibition showed "the valour and unshakeable spirit of the Ukrainian people in the face of death and destruction".

"It's a great privilege to be able to bring together this extraordinary exhibition recording the war through the work of some of the world's leading war photographers.

"Their striking and often moving images show the horror and destruction of the conflict alongside inspiring scenes of courage and hope.

"Among the vast media coverage of the invasion, these photographs are probably the images that will remain longest in our minds."

News imageEvgen Maloletka An elderly woman carries her pets out from her flooded houseEvgen Maloletka
An elderly woman carries her pets out from her house, flooded as a result of the destruction of the dam of the Kakhovka reservoir. Kherson, 8 July 2023
News imageSerhiy Korovainiy Dog clinging to a man's legSerhiy Korovainiy
A dog rescued from the flood after the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam clings to its rescuer's leg, 7 June 2023

One section of the exhibition is dedicated to Mariupol University, which is twinned with the University of Hull.

It was ruined following a Russian missile attack on 16 March 2022, the university said.

A private viewing is being held later for city dignitaries and members of the Ukrainian community in the region.

'Ukraine: The Price of Freedom' runs until 2 September 2023.

News imageYevhen Titov SoldierYevhen Titov
Soldier on the frontline in the Donetsk region, 30 December 2022
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