The word photography literally means “drawing with light”, and this is what Julia Kochetova, an amazing young Ukrainian photographer and filmmaker, has done her whole life. Searching for the light we all carry inside as human beings.
Since March 2022, in collaboration with Fine Acts, Julia has traveled across war torn Ukraine to capture the portraits of her contemporaries who chose to stay in the country and fight – as soldiers, volunteers, or first responders. As DEFENDERS.
“The greatest gift is to have something to defend. What to fight for. What to stand for. War is crushing cities and blowing up bridges. War is killing people. But it can’t stop them. My people can’t be stopped by war,” says Julia.
Along with her regular equipment, Julia decided to use old soviet prism lenses, which distort the subject, to visualise how Russia shattered the lives of Ukrainians – while also making a powerful point: instead of being broken, the country’s spirit has been multiplied.
“In March I went out with my camera to a recent place of hit – Kyiv was shelled every day, endless destruction, pain, but no fear. All the ground, floors, beds, were covered with glass fragments. Glass is the weakest material that shatters immediately when hit by an explosion wave. “War is glass fragments in your bed”, I thought, and understood that my vision was fragmented as well. War shakes your reality, changing it completely, sometimes crushing it, sometimes enriching it with new perspectives.
I’m using old soviet prism lenses to visualize how our reality has been fragmented, refracted, and damaged. But even if your home window is broken because of shelling, a light shines through the prism. It is always present, and it's so important to peer into life, to notice it.”
In her work, Julia often chooses to focus on topics such as home, post-trauma, and occupation. Her main interest is filming the person in transition. As a photographer, she has covered the Maidan revolution (2013-2014), the annexation of Crimea (2014), and the Russia-Ukraine war (2014-now).
“It shapes my entire professional path – I’m part of the generation of revolution & war.”
Her work from the conflict zone has been presented at individual and group exhibitions in the UK, the USA, France, Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Serbia, and Ukraine.
“This project is a statement of why my country’s gonna win,” says Julia, and adds: “The most valuable fight is the fight for your people, and your story, to exist.”
DEFENDERS is part of our Being Ukraine series, where we at Fine Acts have been working with amazing Ukrainian artists on creative collaborations focusing on the immense power and resilience of Ukrainian people.