A State of Uncertainty

A State of Uncertainty follows Kyiv’s artists as they adapt their practice to war. Through portraits and urban landscapes it shows how changed and challenged work patterns fuel a resilient, ambitious creativity that shapes culture and connection.

A State of Uncertainty is a long-term project tracing multiple layers of Kyiv’s cultural history since the invasion of February 24, 2022 and highlighting a creative scene often overlooked in Western media. My experience as an independent artist has shaped my interest in how creative communities operate under pressure, giving me a close familiarity with the fragility and urgency of the artistic process. This understanding informs A State of Uncertainty, which extends the inquiry into a city at war, where the drive to create becomes both a necessity and a form of connection.

The series follows artists and creative individuals such as philosophers, fashion designers, publishers, architects and dancers, all based in Kyiv. Their private lives, families, and social ties are strained and reshaped, with a constant undercurrent of fear and insecurity defining their new reality. Their daily work patterns have been upended, studios and companies moved at short notice, and international collaborations reorganized. Yet they continue to write and publish, design, teach, choreograph, and stage exhibitions, among other activities. Their adaptive creative process becomes both practice and resistance, shaping how stories of this moment are told.

Portraits of these cultural figures are interwoven with urban landscapes, creating a dialogue in which people and surroundings reflect each other. The city’s streets, courtyards and shared public spaces stand as witnesses to resilience, with private studios and homes extending this presence into a quieter world of reflection and care. The photographs examine how art can strengthen community and turn war experiences into cultural resilience without masking the darkness and unpredictability of daily life. Through culture rather than breaking news, the project aims to engage citizens and widen the understanding of war as a lived, ongoing reality.

The work also acknowledges the wider cultural loss - UNESCO counts more than 400 cultural sites damaged and over 10 000 artworks stolen - while emphasizing the counterforce of creation. A State of Uncertainty ultimately asks how artistic imagination can safeguard identity and sustain hope when war threatens both the material and the intangible heritage of a society.