Talk: Mariupol: The City That Refused to Die

15 Jun, 2025, 3.45 PM @ Atelier Gardens

Event language: English

In this talk, Ukrainian photojournalist and Oscar-winning filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov reflects on his powerful work during the siege of Mariupol — and on the powerful photographies that emerged from it.

When the city was cut off from the world — no power, no water, no communication — Chernov and his colleague Evgeniy Maloletka stayed behind to document what would otherwise have been buried in silence. Their images are more than documents: they are testimonies of life under siege, fragments of breath held under bombardment, eyes that witnessed the unspeakable.

Photography is a quiet yet powerful act of remembrance — of war, of endurance, of the courage to stay. It invites us to look, to remember — and to refuse to forget.

This talk explores photography as testimony — as an act of memory, of witnessing, and of resistance against forgetting. Together with Mstyslav Chernov, we look at images that do more than depict war: they reveal what it means to be human in the midst of destruction.

Tickets

Program Info

Mariupol: The City That Refused to Die

Guest

Mstyslav Chernov

Mstyslav Chernov is a Ukrainian photojournalist, filmmaker, and war correspondent. He gained global recognition for documenting Mariupol during Russia’s 2022 invasion, which led to the acclaimed film 20 Days in Mariupol. He has received many awards, including the Pulitzer Prize, and is a journalist for the Associated Press. His work spans photo, film, text, and VR, focusing on war, social issues, and environmental crises.

Media in this event

VX

Photo: Mariupol – The City That Refused to Die

When Mariupol was cut off, two journalists stayed. Their images reveal life under siege—moments of horror, hope, and survival. This exhibition is a reckoning with war, memory, and the dignity of those who endured what the world was never meant to see.