Unbroken - Ukraine´s Ballerinas

Russia´s invasion of Ukraine which began on February 24, 2022, constitutes one of the largest conventional wars since World War II. The level of destruction across Ukraine is unfathomable with several cities and towns being reduced to rubble. The fighting has also unleashed the largest refugee crisis in the world with over 8 million people being displaced inside Ukraine and 7 million fleeing the country.

The Unbroken Project is the result of an artistic collaboration between the Felipe Jácome (photographer) and Svetlana Onipko (photographer and dancer of the Ukrainian National Ballet). The artists met 2 years before the war during a photoshoot in Kyiv and connected over their love for photography.

For this project, the artists transfer images of Ukrainian ballerinas displaced by the conflict onto bullet casings. The strength, determination, and beauty of the dancers is juxtaposed with the senseless violence, brutality, and destruction inflicted by the bullets.

All profits generated from the sale of the photographs of the Unbroken project will be donated for relief and recovery efforts in Ukraine.

Technique

The photos of the ballerinas are printed directly onto a panel of bullet casings using a UV printer.

A special thank you to the ballet artists that participated in the project:

• Anastasiia Bilokon

• Vlada Shevchenko

• Diana Stetsenko

• Nika Afonina

• Anna Schmatchenko

• Masha Samara

• Alyona Kapustyan