Photo exhibition in Varna portrays the lost childhood of Ukraine’s children

A photo exhibition titled War in Centimetres, dedicated to the fourth anniversary of the war in Ukraine, opens today at the Art Salon of Radio Varna. The Open Heart Foundation organised the initiative.

Twenty children of various ages are taking part in the exhibition. Radio Varna reports that the photographs were taken by Petar Penkov, who contributed his work pro bono as a sign of solidarity with the Ukrainian people and child refugees.

"The idea is to show what four years mean in the life of a child, especially one who has been forced to live far from home and grow up in a foreign country," say the organisers. The exhibition also highlights what the Open Heart Foundation describes as Russian aggression, which has killed hundreds of Ukrainian children and left many more injured or with permanent disabilities.

"Thousands have been orphaned, and thousands more have been taken to Russia. That is why the photographs are in black and white with red accents — a symbol of the bloodshed inflicted on the Ukrainian people. And yes, the associations with the film Schindler's List are intentional. We photographed the children against the backdrop of amusement park rides that we wanted to make look ghostly and unsettling, to reflect the experiences of many Ukrainian children,” the organisers add.

Editor: Diana Tsankova