War through the eyes of the military: Mykolaiv photographer presents exhibition in New York «The War They Live»

Photos from the exhibition «The War They Live». Photo: Serhiy Melnychenko

On 9 December, The Kyiv Independent held its first public event in New York City — an evening dedicated to storytelling, investigative journalism and reporting from the frontline. The central event was the presentation of the exhibition «The War They Live», which shows the realities of modern warfare through the eyes of the Ukrainian military.

The project was presented by Mykolaiv-based photographer Serhii Melnychenko, who authored the project, together with curator Iryna Hromotska.

At the beginning of 2025, he distributed 25 disposable film cameras to soldiers along the entire front line and invited them to document their daily lives. This is how a unique exhibition was born — a historical look at our current realities directly from inside the war, told through the eyes of those who are fighting it.

Photos from the exhibition «The War They Live». Photo: Serhiy Melnychenko

Photos from the exhibition «The War They Live». Photo: Serhii Melnychenko

The photographs were supplemented with personal letters and artefacts from the military, which gave the project a special intimacy and turned it into a kind of archive of war experience.

Photos from the exhibition «The War They Live». Photo: Serhii Melnychenko

The exhibition was organised by The Kyiv Independent in partnership with the Ukrainian Institute of America and Veselka, a restaurant that has been promoting Ukrainian culture in New York for decades.

Photos from the exhibition «The War They Live». Photo: Serhiy Melnychenko

Photos from the exhibition «The War They Live». Photo: Serhiy Melnychenko

Photos from the exhibition «The War They Live». Photo: Serhiy Melnychenko

Photos from the exhibition «The War They Live». Photo: Serhii Melnychenko

Earlier, in Mykolaiv, the Vereshchagin Museum received a triptych «Cossack Atlantis» dedicated to the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station tragedy.