Next Station Ukraine in Berlin
Today at 11:00 in Berlin's underground transport network, a photo exhibition #NextStationUkraine was inaugurated on the Alexanderplatz U8 platform, according to the event organisers' social media channels.
The exhibit brings together images from the Kyiv and Kharkiv metro stations that temporarily served as bomb shelters during the Russian-Ukrainian war. The opening was marked by a performance by Ukrainian cellist Denis Karachentsev from Kharkiv, who had previously played for Ukrainians seeking shelter in Kharkiv's metro during the Russian bombardments in March 2022.
In Berlin's subway, Denis created a musical performance, including a brief piece by Ukrainian musician Victor Rekalo, "Seven Simple Dawns".
Images depicting Ukrainians taking refuge in Kyiv and Kharkiv underground stations are displayed on banners. A performance by Denis Karachentsev in the Kharkiv metro is also depicted in one of the images.
The full programme of the opening is as follows:
Denys Karachevtsev – Prelude
Victor Rekalo – Seven Simple Dawns
Giovanni Sollima – Lamentatio
The journalistic network n-ost aided in the event's organisation in Germany. Since November of the previous year, the n-ost journalistic network has been connecting Berlin's public space with Ukraine's reality.
"Our goal is to inform people and connect Berliners with the reality in Ukraine," state the journalists on the organisation's website.
"This is not a campaign; it's our attempt to find a different environment for journalism and documentary photography. In these photos, Berliners will see ordinary people taking shelter in stations, trying to lead their daily lives there. These are families living in carriages, children and pets playing on platforms, elderly people who constantly stay underground because it's harder for them to move, and musicians giving a concert at one of the stations."
The images were created by Ukrainian and international photographers Maksym Dondyuk (Ukraine), Pavlo Dorogoy (Ukraine), Serhiy Korovayny (Ukraine), Jędrzej Nowicki (Poland), and Emil Ducke (Germany).
The event was also partnered with the Ukrainian Institute and the Ukrainisches Institut in Deutschland.
The photo exhibition will run from the 9th to the 19th of June. It is a travelling exhibition and will next move to other cities.
Recall that this exhibition was previously presented in Prague's metro system in May.